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The Shift in Power: What Kier Starmer’s Labour Government Has Achieved in January To March Of 2026?
- Linda Aitken-Smith
- Apr 13
- 30 min read
Updated: Apr 14
What has the Labour Government
Achieved in the first 3 months of 2026
Based on information available as of early 2026, the Labour government has focused on implementing "national renewal" through key reforms, with the first quarter of 2026 marking the implementation phase of several major legislative changes passed in 2025.
Key achievements in the first three months of 2026 include:
Expansion of Worker Rights:
As of 6 April 2026, new statutory employment rights come into effect, including day-one rights to statutory sick pay (removing the three-day waiting period), day-one family leave (paternity/parental), and stronger protections against "fire and rehire" tactics.
Fair Work Agency: The launch in April 2026 to enforce workplace rights and assist with compliance with the Fair Work Agency to centralise the enforcement of minimum wage, holiday pay, and sick pay.
Trade Union Reform:
New 2026 rules simplify the trade union recognition process, removing the requirement for a 40% support threshold for union recognition ballots.
Trade Unions
From 6 April 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 simplifies union recognition in the UK by removing the requirement for a 40% support threshold in ballots, requiring instead a simple majority of votes cast. Furthermore, unions no longer need to prove majority support upfront to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), reducing hurdles to recognition and widening worker coverage.
Key updates to the recognition process from April 2026:
Removal of Thresholds: The 40% support threshold for union recognition ballots is abolished. A simple majority of votes cast is now sufficient to win a recognition ballot.
Abolition of the 40% Threshold: The rule requiring at least 40% of the total workers in the proposed bargaining unit to support recognition has been removed. This prevents non-voters from effectively counting as "no" votes.
Easier Application Process: The requirement to prove that a majority of workers in the bargaining unit likely support the union has been removed.
Simple Majority Rule: The previous double-threshold requirement has been scrapped. A union now only needs a simple majority of votes cast to win a recognition ballot.
Removal of "Likely Support" Test: Unions no longer need to demonstrate to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) that a majority of workers in the proposed bargaining unit are likely to support recognition before a ballot is ordered.
Lowered Application Thresholds: While a 10% membership threshold is initially retained, regulations allow this to be adjusted between 2% and 10%.
To have an application accepted by the CAC, the union now only needs to show that 10% of workers in the proposed bargaining unit are union members.
Potential Further Lowering: The Government has the power to pass secondary legislation (regulations) to further reduce this 10% membership requirement to a figure as low as 2% in the future.
Purpose: These changes aim to simplify the recognition process, remove the requirement for 40% support in a ballot, and encourage higher union membership by making it easier to trigger the recognition procedure, particularly in fragmented workplaces.
Increased Access: New rights for union officials to access workplaces will be introduced, including digital access to workers.
These changes, alongside updated CAC application forms and procedures, are designed to make it easier for unions to gain statutory recognition. Further reforms regarding electronic balloting are scheduled for later in 2026.
Trade union requirements
The majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 was repealed on 18 February.
This simplifies requirements on trade unions, including in relation to procedures around industrial action. Link at the end of the blog to ~ Trade union requirements
Economy and Energy
Warm Homes Plan:
In late January 2026, the UK Government launched the Warm Homes Plan, a major new direction for energy efficiency and low-carbon home upgrades in the UK.
The plan is backed by £15 billion of public investment, with the stated ambition to support upgrades in up to 5 million homes and help lift up to one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. It is the largest public investment to upgrade British homes and cut bills.
Although the Warm Homes Plan has only recently been formally announced, it builds on a number of funding programmes that are already underway or scheduled to deliver upgrades over the coming years. These include:
Warm Homes: Local Grant – giving £500 million to councils to improve energy efficiency in low-income homes with poor EPC ratings.
Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund – providing £1.29 billion to social landlords to upgrade homes that are below EPC band C.
The government’s recent announcement has clarified what we can expect from the Warm Homes plan in the future. The plan guarantees £15 billion of investment in the energy efficiency space over the next 5 years. This could support upgrades in up to 5 million homes, possibly lifting 1 million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
Direct support for low-income families – upgrades such as solar panels and batteries could be available fully funded for low-income families.
An offer for everyone – the plan includes a government-backed, zero and low-interest loans programme to get solar panels onto the nation’s rooftops and new rules that mean every new home will come with solar panels by default.
New protections for renters – updated protections for renters and a new framework to support landlords through improving properties will lift more people in privately rented accommodation out of fuel poverty.
The Warm Homes Plan is closely linked to the government’s wider programme of EPC reform and planned changes to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in the private rented sector. While the government has not yet published the full outcome of its MEES consultation, its response to date signals several important adjustments that will shape the future of EPC compliance.
Most significantly, the government has confirmed its direction of travel: all privately rented homes will be expected to meet the equivalent of EPC Band C by October 2030. Compliance will be judged using new, clearer EPC metrics, including 4 new headline metrics:
Energy cost – how much the home is likely to cost to run.
Fabric performance – how effectively the building retains heat.
Heating system – the efficiency and environmental impact of the installed heating system.
Smart readiness – how well the home is prepared for smart energy technologies.
Reaching this standard across the private rented sector will require a large amount of energy efficiency upgrades over the next decade. The Warm Homes Plan is intended to provide the financial support, flexibility and delivery framework landlords will need to meet these requirements, while ensuring renters benefit from warmer, healthier and more affordable homes. For more information on the Warm Homes Plan, check out the link at the end of this Blog.
National Wealth Fund:
Operationalised to unlock private investment for green energy and infrastructure projects.
National Wealth Fund: The rebranded UK Infrastructure Bank is investing in priority sectors, including clean energy and green hydrogen, with a focus on public-private investment.
The National Wealth Fund (NWF), formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), invests in UK green infrastructure to unlock private capital, targeting clean energy, green hydrogen, and industrial decarbonization. Supported by £5.8 billion in initial capital, the NWF focuses on public-private financing for projects like gigafactories and ports to drive economic growth and net-zero targets.
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) Bill aims to establish a permanent statutory body to invest in UK infrastructure and green industry, leveraging public capital to crowd in private investment. Formally launched in October 2024 by reconfiguring the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), it aims to drive growth through a £5.8 billion initial boost, targeting £100 billion in total investment.
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) Bill aims to establish a permanent statutory body
To invest in UK infrastructure and green industry, leveraging public capital to crowd in private investment. Formally launched in October 2024 by reconfiguring the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), it aims to drive growth through a £5.8 billion initial boost, targeting £100 billion in total investment.
Key Aspects of the National Wealth Fund:
Purpose: To invest in key sectors like clean energy, transport infrastructure, and industrial transformation to meet net-zero targets and boost economic growth.
Structure: It brings together the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and the British Business Bank (BBB) under one umbrella to deliver financing, including loans and equity.
Capitalisation: The fund inherits £22 billion from the UKIB and receives an additional £5.8 billion of fresh capital to deploy.
Investment Focus: Key sectors include gigafactories, green steel, renewable energy, and infrastructure projects.
Private Investment: The goal is to act as a catalyst, aiming to attract substantial private capital for every pound of public money invested.
The Bill is designed to create a long-term institution that is operationally independent from the government, allowing it to take higher-risk investments to support industrial strategy and local growth plans.
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) Bill is legislation introduced by the UK government to put the National Wealth Fund on a permanent statutory footing. Originally announced in the July 2024 King's Speech, it seeks to broaden the fund's mandate beyond its predecessor, the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), enabling it to support the government's wider industrial strategy and clean energy missions.
As of April 2026, the NWF is already operational and fully capitalised with £27.8 billion, having transitioned from the UKIB in October 2024.
Key Provisions & Objectives
The Bill and associated strategic plan aim to:
Broaden the Mandate: Move beyond just "infrastructure" to invest in capital-intensive projects, supply chains, and businesses in sectors like green hydrogen, carbon capture, ports, gigafactories, and green steel.
Mobilise Private Finance: Achieve a 3:1 target ratio of private to public investment, with an ambition to drive more than £100 billion into the UK economy by 2030/31.
Strategic Ambitions:
Clean Energy: Accelerate the pathway to net zero by 2050.
Place-based Investment: Support regionally significant projects across all four nations of the UK.
Sovereign Capability: Strengthen national security by investing in critical minerals, defence, and AI.
Financial Scope: Increase the "economic capital limit" (risk budget) from £4.5 billion to £7 billion to allow for higher-risk investments.
Current Operational Status
While the Bill provides the permanent legal framework, the fund is actively deploying capital under existing powers from the UK Infrastructure Bank Act 2023.
Deployment: As of early 2026, the fund has deployed approximately £8.4 billion.
Major Investments: Recent commitments include £599 million for Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and £600 million for ScottishPower's subsea power link.
Governance: The fund operates at arm's length from HM Treasury, led by CEO Oliver Holbourn and chaired by Chris Grigg.
Investment Priorities (2024–2029)
Priority Sector | Focus Areas |
Clean Energy | Carbon capture, hydrogen, grid upgrades, and nuclear (Sizewell C) |
Advanced Manufacturing | Gigafactories, green steel, and aerospace supply chains |
Digital & Tech | AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and broadband rollout |
Transport | Ports and regional transport infrastructure |
Local Power Plan:
The first wave of funding from the £8.3 billion Great British Energy fund was allocated to community energy projects.
Yes, the first wave of funding from the £8.3 billion Great British Energy (GB Energy) initiative was aimed at community energy projects and local infrastructure.
Following the 2025 Spending Review, GB Energy and its allied body, GB Energy-Nuclear, were allocated over £8.3 billion to deploy over this Parliament.
Key details of the initial funding allocation:
GBE Community Fund: As part of the new Local Power Plan, £5 million was allocated to a grant programme specifically for community energy projects (such as rural heat networks and rooftop solar).
Mayoral Support: An additional £10 million was provided for mayoral strategic authorities to deliver local clean power projects across England.
Public Sector Support: A £255 million investment, supported by GBE, was announced to cut energy bills through rooftop solar on around 250 schools and over 270 NHS sites.
Regional Focus: In Scotland, a £4 million scheme was launched, part of a wider £8 million community energy fund. In Wales, nearly £3 million was pledged for local renewable projects.
The overall aim of this first wave, often referred to as the Local Power Plan, is to support at least 1,000 local energy projects by 2030, encouraging community ownership and lowering energy bills.
One of the UK Government’s key energy pledges from the 2024 general election is the creation of Great British Energy – also called GB Energy.
Over the course of this parliament, the UK Government intends to invest £8.3 billion of funding into this new, publicly-owned green power company.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband appointed climate and energy expert Chris Stark to lead its new ‘Mission Control’ centre.
Together with GB Energy, it will work to ‘turbocharge’ the UK Government’s target to deliver clean power by 2030.
Here’s what GB Energy looks like 12 months after the 2024 general election. What has happened with GB Energy
I have provided a link to GB Energy at the end of this Blog.
Housing and Infrastructure:
Planning Reform:
The Planning and Infrastructure Act took effect to accelerate housing development.
Implementing the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 to streamline development, with a 30-month local plan timetable and new strategic "Spatial Development Strategies" introduced to accelerate home-building toward the 1.5 million target.
Homes for Heroes':
A new programme was initiated to ensure Armed Forces veterans, care leavers, and domestic abuse survivors have priority access to housing.
The Armed Forces Covenant states that veterans should be given high priority for social housing if they have an urgent need. The normal Local Connection Rules are waived for regular armed forces personnel and veterans who have left within the last five years, so they can apply for housing anywhere.
Environment and Public Services:
Water Sector Regulation: Implementation of the Water (Special Measures) Act, allowing the government to block bonuses for water bosses and launching criminal investigations into sewage dumping.
The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on February 24, 2025, has introduced strict new regulations to the UK water sector, focusing on improving environmental performance, enforcing accountability for water company executives, and increasing transparency regarding sewage dumping.
Key Aspects of Implementation (as of early 2026):
Bonus Bans for Water Bosses: Ofwat has utilised powers from the Act to implement new rules (effective from June 6, 2025) that prohibit performance-related pay (PRP) for senior executives at water companies that fail to meet high standards on environmental, consumer, and financial matters.
Impact: In the first year, these rules blocked over £4 million of potential bonuses across six major companies: Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water, and Yorkshire Water.
Retroactive Application: These rules apply to bonuses related to the 2024/25 financial year.
Loopholes: Despite these measures, some reports indicate that water companies are attempting to bypass restrictions by labelling payments differently (e.g., "retention payments") or using parent company funds.
Criminal Investigations and Penalties: The Act allows for criminal charges against water executives for breaking environmental laws and gives the Environment Agency greater powers, including the ability to seek imprisonment for obstruction of investigations.
Increased Action: A record 81 criminal investigations were launched into water companies in England between July 2024 and May 2025.
New Penalties: Executives who cover up or hide illegal sewage spills can now face up to two years in prison.
Sewage Dumping Monitoring: The Act mandates independent, real-time monitoring of every emergency sewage outlet, requiring data to be published within an hour of a spill.
Timeline: While this is a requirement, the government has planned a phased implementation of monitoring for all emergency overflows, aiming for 50% coverage by March 2030 and 100% by April 2035.
Pollution Incident Reduction Plans (PIRPs): As of June 23, 2025, water companies are required to publish annual PIRPs, detailing how they will identify, respond to, and reduce sewage pollution, with the first mandatory plans due by April 1, 2026.
Automatic Penalties: The Act enables "automatic" penalties, allowing regulators to issue fines for specific offences—such as minor to moderate pollution—using the civil standard of proof ("on the balance of probabilities") rather than waiting for lengthy criminal investigations.
Wider Reform: The Act is considered a "first step," with further, more fundamental transformation of the water sector being guided by an Independent Water Commission (led by Sir Jon Cunliffe), which is reviewing the industry's structure.
Criticisms and Ongoing Challenges:
Slow Progress: While some action has been taken, critics have argued that the sewage continues to flow and that water companies are complying with the letter of the law while still causing significant environmental damage.
Effectiveness of Bans: Campaigners argue that executive bonus bans should be implemented more immediately and that some penalties are not severe enough to deter massive corporations.
Loophole Exploitation: As mentioned, companies have attempted to use retention payments or parent company money to circumvent the bonus bans.
Bonuses for water bosses and launching criminal investigations into sewage dumping.
The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025, marking a significant shift in UK water sector regulation. The legislation specifically empowers regulators to hold water company executives personally accountable for environmental and operational failures.
Blocking Executive Bonuses
The Act provides Ofwat with the authority to set rules prohibiting performance-related pay if companies fail to meet high standards regarding the environment, consumers, and financial resilience.
Implementation: New rules came into force on 6 June 2025. These rules were backdated to apply to bonuses for the 2024/25 financial year.
Impact: In its first year of operation, Ofwat's new rules blocked more than £4 million in potential bonuses.
Affected Companies: Six major water companies—Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water, and Yorkshire Water—were prevented from paying bonuses to their top bosses due to serious pollution incidents or other performance failures.
Criminal Investigations and Personal Liability
The Act strengthens the Environment Agency's (EA) ability to bring criminal charges against water executives.
Jail Sentences: Executives now face up to two years in prison if they are found to have obstructed investigations or covered up illegal sewage spills.
Expanded Scope: The law enables executives and directors to be prosecuted where an offence was committed with their "consent, connivance or due to their neglect," bringing water regulation in line with other high-stakes sectors like fraud.
Ongoing Action: The Environment Agency is currently conducting its largest-ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance across thousands of sewage treatment works.
Additional Measures
Automatic and Severe Fines: Regulators can now issue "automatic" financial penalties for minor to moderate offences (such as reporting failures) without lengthy investigations, using a lower "civil standard of proof" (balance of probabilities).
Real-Time Monitoring: Water companies are now mandated to monitor every emergency sewage outlet and publish data on spills in real-time (within one hour).
Customer Accountability: New "customer panels" give consumers the power to summon board members and hold executives directly to account for service failures.
The Water Companies need to reduce the Water Bills of Private households, as it is not fair that we are having to pay more again to sort out the clear up of the sewage that was dumped previously.
As the Private households were not responsible for the dumping of untreated Sewage into Rivers and the Sea.
British Citizens paid their Water Bills, which means they also paid for the treatment of the sewage, to make the water safe in their previous Water Bills. But Sewage was found in Rivers etc and British Citizens became very ill.
Several recent films and documentaries have addressed the issue of sewage spillage in UK waterways, most notably the 2026 Channel 4 drama Dirty Business and the independent documentary Jo in the Water. These films highlight the environmental, health, and legal battles surrounding the discharge of raw sewage by privatised water companies.
I am under United Utilities: For my Water Supply
I did a Search for Sewage Treatment (Search results for: ' Sewage Treatment') and got this result
Sewage treatment is getting the biggest upgrade since the Industrial Revolution
I have added the link for United Utilities below at the end of my Blog.
I also searched for: Are future upgrades covered by the yearly payments customers make for their water supply in the search bar on United Utilities, and found this:
Buying for the future
United Utilities is committed to providing the very best commercial and procurement solutions in undertaking our licensed obligations for the delivery of Water and Wastewater services.
Additionally, we have regulatory bodies such as the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and European Commission placing demands and conditions to increase our environmental performance and operational efficiency, when we are buying for the future.
Every five years, we, together with all the other water companies in England and Wales, submit a business plan to Ofwat outlining the investment we want to make to ensure our network of pipes, sewers, water and wastewater treatment work and reservoirs deliver outstanding service to our customers. Whilst this plan is important, our commitment is to deliver excellence in procurement solutions all year, every year.
So I asked Google the same question, and the answer is below.
Question: Are future upgrades covered by the yearly payments customers make for their water supply?
Answer: Yes, future upgrades and infrastructure investments are covered by the yearly payments customers make for their water supply.
Water companies in England and Wales are currently increasing bills to fund a significant £104 billion 5-year investment plan for 2025–2030 to upgrade pipes, reduce leaks, and cut sewage pollution.
How Upgrades are Funded:
Customer Bills: Investments needed to ensure future resilience and environmental improvements are paid for through customer bills, but spread over a long period rather than all at once, to keep bills manageable.
Long-Term Strategy: These investments are, by design, intended to secure future water supplies and improve infrastructure rather than just maintaining current service.
Regulatory Approval: The regulator, Ofwat, sets price controls (such as the 2024 price review) that allow companies to increase charges to fund these upgrades.
Investor Financing: While customers ultimately pay for improvements, water companies often raise funds from investors (debt and equity) to pay for large projects upfront.
Bill Increases for Upgrades:
As of early 2026, water bills are rising to fund this investment. Average water bills in England and Wales are set to increase by an average of £31 per year (before inflation) from 2025 to 2030 to pay for these improvements.
Accountability:
If water companies fail to deliver the planned upgrades, Ofwat has mechanisms to ensure that money intended for investment is returned to customers through lower bills.
I will be keeping a check on what they do and whether they end up in the News in the future. As there has been a major problem recently in the UK with Sewage Spills.
As my Water Bill has Increased by £95.82 year from £682.64 a year to £778.46
Water, sewage, and Upgrades are supposed to be covered by the Payments Customers make every year to their Water Suppliers.
Education Reform:
Free Breakfast Clubs:
The UK government is expanding free breakfast clubs to all primary schools, with over 500 new clubs launching after Easter 2026 to join the initial 750 early adopter schools. to reach 1,250 schools and 300,000+ children.
School-Based Nurseries:
At the same time, the first stage of delivering 3,000 school-based nurseries is underway, supported by over £370 million in funding for 2025–2030 to enhance childcare access, to support the expansion of the new school-based nurseries between 2025-2030, with 2025-26 marking critical, ongoing capital grant phases.
The implementation of a new teacher recruitment drive, aiming for 6,500 new staff:
The UK government is implementing a major recruitment drive aimed at adding 6,500 new expert teachers to the workforce in secondary schools, special schools, and further education (FE) colleges by the end of the current parliament.
This initiative is part of a broader "Plan for Change" designed to tackle acute subject shortages, improve retention, and boost educational outcomes, particularly in areas of high disadvantage.
Progress will be measured against a baseline of 245,805 full-time equivalent teachers, working in secondaries, special schools, pupil referral units and FE colleges in 2023-24.
The government says it remains “on track” to deliver its pledge. The secondary and special school workforce had grown by 2,346 by 2024-25, while FE teacher data is due in May.
NHS 10-Year Plan:
This new approach will see the NHS focus on what matters most to patients – cutting waiting lists, getting seen promptly at A&E, and being able to get a GP appointment.
“We’ve provided significant extra investment and given clear directions to trusts on what we expect, so there is no excuse for failure. We will reward high performance and drive up standards as we deliver on our Plan for Change and build a health service fit for the future.”
The government began implementing the 10-year plan designed to shift care from hospitals to the community.
The UK government officially published its 10-Year Health Plan, titled "Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England," on July 3, 2025. This plan aims to transform the NHS from a "hospital-centric" model to a "community-focused" service by 2035.
The implementation began with the announcement of a National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme in September 2025, working with 42 selected sites to develop new community care models. The overall goal is to free up hospitals from "perpetual firefighting" to focus on high-acuity care
Key elements of this 10-year implementation plan include:
Hospital to Community Shift: Care will be brought closer to home, focusing on providing diagnostics, outpatient care, mental health support, and rehabilitation in neighbourhood health centres rather than hospitals.
"Neighbourhood Health Service": New "neighbourhood health centres" will be rolled out, operating 12 hours a day, six days a week, often housing GPs, nurses, social care workers, and pharmacists under one roof.
Preventing Sickness: The plan focuses on proactive management of long-term conditions and wellness, with an aim that 95% of people with complex needs have an agreed personal care plan by 2027.
Digital Transformation: Moving from analogue to digital, including greater use of AI for tasks like clinical notetaking and expanding the NHS App to enable patients to manage their care remotely.
As NHS staff continued to contend with record demand for care,
NHS England asked all local systems and providers to develop Neighbourhood Health Service models in 2026, with the immediate focus on preventing long admissions to hospital and improving access to urgent and emergency care. This will include scaling up local initiatives in the best performing areas to improve A&E and ambulance services, including increasing the proportion of patients seen, treated and discharged in one day or less, and implementing joint working arrangements to ensure no ambulance handover is longer than 45 minutes.
The NHS England 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance
Requires all Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
that all local areas had action plans in place by June 2025. These plans focus on enhancing general practice and dental access through the following measures.
General Practice Oversight and Transformation
Contract Oversight & Commissioning: Systems must establish plans to improve how GP contracts are managed and commissioned at a local level.
Transformation and Variation: Plans must target the reduction of "unwarranted variation" in care quality and service delivery across different practices.
Modern General Practice (MGP): ICBs must continue supporting the transition to the Modern General Practice model, which aims to end the "8 am scramble" for appointments.
Targeted Support: Funding of £8.5 million is available in 2025/26 to support practices that struggle to provide adequate patient access and experience.
Dental Access Commitment
700,000 Additional Appointments:
Every local system is responsible for delivering its share of the government's manifesto commitment to provide 700,000 more dental appointments.
Urgent Care Focus: Initially focused strictly on urgent dental care, the commitment was broadened in February 2026 to include all dental appointments to ensure patients with complex or progressive needs (like severe decay) could also be seen.
Commissioning Requirements:
ICBs must commission this additional capacity using existing dental allocations and a draft national service specification released for 2025/26.
Incentive Scheme:
The Urgent Dental Care Incentive (UDCI) scheme launched in September 2025 to encourage providers to deliver more unscheduled care through the end of March 2026.
The aim is to improve GP contract oversight, commissioning and transformation for general practice, while reducing variation, as well as to commission additional urgent dental appointments to ensure all local systems deliver their share of the government’s commitment to 700k more appointments.
Key Implementation Dates
Deadline | Action Required |
June 2025 | ICB action plans for GP contract oversight and transformation must be in place. |
October 2025 | Practices must keep online consultation tools open for the duration of core hours (8 am–6:30 pm). |
October 2025 | GP Connect functionality must be enabled for record sharing and pharmacy updates. |
March 2026 | Target for delivering the 700,000 additional dental appointments for the 2025/26 financial year. |
Health & Social Care
In its 10 Year Health Plan for England, published in June 2025, Labour announced a pledge to transform the NHS App into “a full front door to the entire NHS” by 2028.
This followed a similar, but more vague, pledge in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which promised to improve the app so that patients could “better manage their medicine, appointments, and health needs” and provide better information on services available to them.
The 10 Year Health Plan outlines the key features that will be introduced over the next three years to achieve:
introducing a “single patient record” that will bring a patient’s scattered medical records into one place inside the app
offering “instant advice” for non-urgent care
introducing a My Choices feature to allow users to choose their preferred provider
introducing a My Specialist feature to book tests
allowing the app to host consultations—the My Consult feature
letting users book vaccines through My Vaccines
helping users manage long-term conditions and upload health data through My Care and My Companion, respectively
allowing users to manage their children’s healthcare through My Children.
Some features are already available on the NHS App. For example, it is currently possible to use the app if you’re registered with a GP in England to request a repeat prescription from your GP, to view and manage your GP record, and to book appointments.
The plan also promises a My Medicines feature to allow patients to manage their prescriptions. It’s not clear how this will differ from the current service.
Policy | Pledge | Status | Date |
Achieved | 6 Jan | ||
Defence | In progress | 8 Jan | |
Defence | Achieved | 10 Feb |
They also made Pledges regarding the Defence Policies, see table above,
As of April 2026, the defence of the United Kingdom is focused on "defence in depth," with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) enhancing warfighting readiness amid escalating threats in the Middle East and ongoing support for Ukraine.
While the UK has undertaken significant increases in defence spending—
totalling £270bn across the current Parliament—the armed forces are experiencing a "rhetoric to reality gap," with key equipment programmes facing delays and industrial capacity constraints.
State of Military Equipment (April 2026)
Royal Navy & Maritime Security: The Navy is struggling to deploy warships and submarines concurrently due to maintenance and personnel challenges, despite having the largest budget in decades. However, the MoD is strengthening maritime security, recently exposing covert Russian submarine operations in UK waters.
Royal Air Force (RAF):
The RAF is considered in relatively good health compared to other services, completing a recapitalisation of new fighters, maritime patrol aircraft, and electronic warfare platforms. By early 2026, the RAF is expected to have around 48 F-35B Lightning jets and is introducing the first of three E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
British Army:
The Army is undergoing a major air defence overhaul, targeting July 2026 for the delivery of two new Surface-to-Air Missile Operations Centres and enhanced Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) capability.
Procurement & Procurement Delays:
Key programmes are facing delays, including advanced munitions like the SPEAR-3 missile, now expected around 2026, and the integration of Meteor missiles with F-35s, delayed until 2027. New Support Ships for the RFA are not expected until 2028, leading to a capability gap.
Defence Posture and Operations:
Middle East Operations:
The UK has boosted air defences for Gulf partners and deployed additional Typhoon fighters to Qatar in March/April 2026 to counter rising regional tensions. British bases are being used by the US for defensive operations against missile threats.
Ukraine Support:
The UK has committed an additional £100 million for an air defence package for Ukraine, anThe UK has committed an additional £100 million for an air defence package for Ukraine and extd extended the Operation Interflex training program until at least the end of 2026.
War-Readiness Planning:
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, has initiated a new "war book" strategy to prepare the nation for the potential transition to war, involving closer coordination between the military, industry, and the public.
Personnel and Funding Constraints:
Spending Plan:
While there is an ambition to reach 3.5% of GDP for defence spending by 2035, the 10-year investment plan is still in development, with the MoD facing a reported £28bn funding gap to meet existing commitments.
Personnel Strength:
As of January 1, 2026, total armed forces strength increased slightly to 182,050, but the Full-Time Trained Strength has seen a slight decline, indicating a continued challenge in retaining trained personnel, particularly in the Army and RAF.
But most of the general Public and those who have served in the Armed Forces don’t feel the UK is protected from an attack
Recent reports and public opinion polling from late 2025 and early 2026 indicate a significant, growing concern among both the British public and military experts regarding the UK’s preparedness against modern security threats.
A November 2025 Defence Committee report warned that the UK lacks a comprehensive plan to defend itself from a military attack, with the country "nowhere near" where it needs to be to meet NATO obligations.
Key Perspectives on UK Security (2026):
Declining Public Trust:
According to a February 2026 report, only about a third of the UK public expects the government to "do what is right," highlighting a trust crisis that, experts warn, could make it difficult for the nation to withstand modern hybrid threats.
Call for Military Readiness:
A 2025 poll showed that 66% of the British public wanted to see military strength increase within the next ten years, and 67% believed the industrial base needed strengthening to support the Armed Forces.
Veterans and Strategic Reserves:
While the UK is amending its Armed Forces Bill to allow for easier mobilisation of reservists and veterans up to age 65, critics argue this is a "sticking plaster" over deep-rooted issues in recruitment and retention, rather than a strategy that ensures immediate preparedness.
Concerns Over Equipment and Munitions:
Former military leaders have expressed alarm over "pitiful" military capabilities, with warnings that the UK could not sustain a long-term conflict against a peer adversary, such as Russia, due to low munition stockpiles and air defence deficiencies.
Cyber Threat Concerns:
Over 70% of the UK public believes cyber warfare will play a major role in future conflicts, and there is high fear regarding attacks on critical national infrastructure (CNI).
Societal Cohesion Issues:
Reports have noted that a decline in patriotism—with a 2025 Ipsos poll suggesting only a third of Britons would take up arms for their country—undermines "whole of society" defence initiatives.
The government has recognised these challenges, with the Ministry of Defence announcing a "war-fighting readiness" strategy, including investment in new munitions factories and enhanced security at defence sites. However, official scrutiny still points to a strategic dependence on the US and a need for improved homeland resilience.
The Labour Government, led by Sir Keir Starmer, took office on 5 July 2024 following their landslide victory in the general election held on 4 July 2024. As of today, Saturday, 11 April 2026, they have been in power for 645 days. Your calculation is correct—there are exactly 84 days remaining until the government reaches its two-year anniversary on 4 July 2026.
But many British Citizens are feeling uneasy
about the future of the UK.
And would have preferred the Government to have got rid of the ECHR and the laws listed below ##, which the Government should have changed or repealed, so that they could deport or turn back the Illegal Migrants.
These laws are stopping us from removing illegal migrants.
If they were removed, the Government could set up Deportation Centres and arrange with the Countries of Origin of these Migrants to send back all the Illegal migrants who came across from France without Legal Permission to enter, as they should have applied for Asylum from their country of origin.
France should not have assisted the Illegal Migrants by putting them up in Camps near the port of Calais, where they depart from in boats supplied by the people smuggling gangs. They should have sent them back to their country of origin using Coaches if necessary to the French border, and they should have made sure that the border was strengthened, and the French army or Police should have been used to patrol the border.
Instead of Britain paying Billions to the French Government. The French Government could have asked the British Government to help them transport the Migrants to the Border of France and possibly help the French to build a wall. This would have been more beneficial to the UK, instead of putting them up in Hotels… and having to pay for everything for the Migrants. It would also have benefited the French as well.
Both the Polish and the Hungarian Prime Ministers have achieved this.
The money the UK has spent on the Illegal Migrants could have been spent on improving our Military and the Defence of the UK so that we would be ready for any potential threats.
The Prime Minister has allowed the Illegal Migrants to come into the UK, which has mean’t that our spending has increased instead of arranging with the French to help remove them from their Country. Until he makes a better arrangement that doesn't involve the UK paying out Billions to the French Government, until the French build a fence like the Polish Government has done, to keep the Migrants out of France. And removes all the Migrants in France out of their Country, and allows the UK to send them back to France, and they then put them in Coaches and deport them all.
Till they take them all back, the UK will have to empty the Hotels and put them in detention centres, and also have a high wall for extra protection so they can't leave the area surrounding the centres. As we can't afford the ongoing high costs. They should also stop giving out all the freebies, as all this is costing the British taxpayer.
His priority should have been the Indigenous and Legal Citizens of the UK, from day one, by doing the following ##
The Labour Government should have repealed the laws below when they came into power, as we are now in an escalating debt, with more interest added to it every day.
The money could have been better spent on improving the UK for the Indigenous and Legal Citizens of the UK and improving our Defence of the UK.
## The ECHR (As we are no longer in the EU (After the British Citizens voted to leave).
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR):
Article 3 prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face a risk of torture or inhuman/degrading treatment, known as the principle of non-refoulement.
## The Human Rights Act 1998 (UK):
This incorporates the ECHR into UK law, allowing migrants to challenge removal orders on human rights grounds, which often triggers lengthy appeals.
## Changed the Law The Refugee Convention (1951):
Similar to the ECHR, this forbids the return of refugees to territories where their life or freedom is threatened.
##*Reforms to Article 8 ECHR:
The UK government has announced plans to reform the interpretation of Article 8 (right to family and private life) of the ECHR to further facilitate the removal of individuals who have no legal right to remain.
As of 13.04.2026
The UK government has not yet enacted final legal reforms to Article 8 of the ECHR (right to family and private life), but has announced plans (as of mid-to-late 2025) to tighten domestic legislation to limit its application in immigration cases. Proposed reforms aim to restrict how Article 8 prevents the deportation of foreign criminals and migrants with no legal right to remain. The Labour Government should enact the final legal reforms of the ECHR Article 8.
##Remove....Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (incorporated into UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998) guarantees the right to respect for private and family life, home, and correspondence. It protects personal privacy, relationships, and data. Public authorities cannot interfere with these rights unless it is legal, necessary, and proportionate to protect national security, public safety, or the rights of others.
Protect the British Citizens who have been attacked by Illegal Migrants.
Other Factors Hindering Removal:
Documentation:
Securing travel documents from home countries can be difficult, particularly for those who have destroyed their original documentation.
A DNA test will prove their Country of origin
Yes, a DNA test can provide strong evidence about a person's country or region of origin, often identifying specific ancestral populations through biogeographical ancestry testing. These tests analyze DNA markers and compare them to large reference datasets to calculate the most likely geographical regions your ancestors lived in, often up to 1,000 years in the past. Also fingerprints and Digital Photos can be used and International databases checked.
Detention Capacity:
The capacity of immigration detention centres limits the number of individuals who can be held for removal.
Detention Centres would probably be Cheaper than putting them in hotels where they are free to roam, causing more problems.
Diplomatic Issues:
Countries may refuse to accept the return of their citizens, requiring bilateral agreements for large-scale removals.
Inform the Countries that the Labour Government will bill the Countries for the cost of looking after their citizens, as the Migrants did not apply to come to the UK legally. And they are not self-funding themselves like Legal Citizens do when they apply legally to come to the UK.
If the UK is paying Aid to the country, it could remove the Aid. The UK is currently sending Official Development Assistance (ODA), which is government-provided aid aimed at promoting economic development and welfare in developing countries, often tracked by the OECD. It includes grants and favourable loans, with a major focus on humanitarian aid, health, and, for the UK, key regions like Africa. Official aid excludes military spending, focusing on development, infrastructure, and crisis response
Question: Is the UK Government paying aid to countries where the Illegal migrants are coming from?
Answer: Yes, the UK Government provides Official Development Assistance (ODA)—commonly known as foreign aid—to many countries from which illegal migrants originate or transit through, with the stated aim of tackling the "root causes" of migration.
In July 2024, the government announced a new funding package of up to £84 million for projects across Africa and the Middle East, specifically aimed at tackling illegal migration at its source.
Here are the key details regarding this funding:
Target Areas: The £84 million is focused on addressing factors driving people to leave their homes, such as conflict, lack of economic opportunity, and food insecurity.
Specific Allocations:
£26 million to support Syrian refugees in the Middle East.
£24 million for humanitarian assistance in Sudan, Chad, and Ethiopia.
£13 million for "Migration for Development" programmes in North and East Africa.
£21 million for multilateral support in key transit countries, including Libya, Egypt, and Chad.
Up to £2 million to support the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya for voluntary returns.
Voluntary Returns Scheme: The government also provides financial incentives for migrants in the UK to return to their home countries, offering up to £3,000 for those who leave voluntarily.
Why the UK Provides This Aid. The government argues that providing aid and supporting economic development in home regions can encourage people to stay within their home region, rather than attempting the dangerous journey to the UK.
Between 2024 and 2026, a significant portion of the UK's aid budget—approximately 20% to over 28% in 2024–2025—was spent within the UK on supporting refugees and asylum seekers, rather than on overseas projects. This high level of "in-donor" costs, driven by accommodation expenses for refugees, has consistently accounted for around one-fifth to nearly one-third of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.
Key Findings:
High Domestic Spend: In 2024, approximately £2.8 billion (or 20% of the aid budget) was spent on supporting refugees within the UK.
Proportion Trends: Some reports indicated that up to 28% of UK aid was used for domestic refugee costs during this period, with projections holding over 18% of the budget for in-country spending in 2025.
Context: These expenditures on domestic refugees in hotel accommodation are permitted under international rules but have reduced the funding available for international development projects.
Source findings are based on, and in some cases predate, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) report on the UK aid budget. Additional data on the UK aid budget and in-donor costs is available from the House of Commons Library and the ICAI analysis of how UK aid is spent.
Maybe it's time we looked after the Indigenous Citizens of the UK, and those who apply Legally and are self-funding themselves and have a Legal Job to come to and have found their own place to live.
Unlike the Illegal Migrants who come here, the British taxpayers are having to pay for them, while we go without, they are living a life of luxury. And they repay us by attacking British Citizens, so Protect the British Citizens who have been attacked by Illegal Migrants. Change the Laws above marked with a ##.
We are Inviting Criminals and possible Terrorists Into the UK. And paying for it over and over again with a National Debt that keeps increasing, also Increasing Crime Rates in Theft, Stabbings, Assaults on British Citizens.
We should fund the UK and local and National Businesses and house our own Citizens and Make Britain Great Again! Instead of sending Aid Abroad, Spend the Aid we send Abroad on British citizens.
Spend the money instead on the Defence of the UK to protect the British Citizens. Making Britain a safer Country again. And on improving the UK, the True Citizens will benefit from the Taxes they pay or have paid in the past.
We are being Fleeced twice over by the Migrants who have come to the UK and the Countries who take Aid from us.
We should send the Illegal Migrants back to their Countries Of Origin via France, and CLOSE The British Borders!
Our National Debt will REDUCE Overnight!
Links to Further Information on the Following:
Employment & Trade Unions
New changes due to the Employment Rights Act 2025
From:
Published
6 April 2026
Business.gov.uk (Employment Changes)
Trade union requirements:
https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/employment-changes/employers/trade-union-requirements/#:~:text=April%202026.
The Warm Homes Plan:
Inside the Warm Homes Plan: What It Means for Households, Landlords and Retrofit 29 January 2026
What has happened with GB Energy?
United Utilities For The North West
Illegal Migration
Plus, also check out the following…
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
28 April 2025
The government's new immigration Bill scraps some of the worst previous laws, but other parts are worrying. Here's everything you need to know.
Freedom From Torture
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