Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Whitehall of becoming "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline" as he unveiled a series of policy milestones aimed at driving delivery and restoring public trust. In a landmark speech at Pinewood Studios, Starmer challenged civil servants to embrace change and deliver on 150 major infrastructure projects, warning that a "profound cultural shift" was needed to counter the rise of populism.
The six milestones include raising real household disposable income and GDP per capita by the end of this parliament, building 1.5 million homes in England, fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 infrastructure projects, achieving at least 95% clean power by 2030, meeting the NHS 18-week elective care target for 92% of patients, ensuring 75% of five-year-olds are ready for school, and deploying 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers. Starmer said the targets would "give the British people the power to hold our feet to the fire."
However, the prime minister faced criticism for omitting immigration from the milestones, despite confirmed figures showing 20,000 small boat crossings since Labour took office. Starmer described border control as a "foundational" issue separate from the milestones. Opposition leaders accused him of watering down commitments, with the 2030 clean power target adjusted from 100% to "at least 95%," which Labour attributed to the need for a strategic gas reserve.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the speech an "emergency reset," claiming Labour had not been "ready for government." Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Starmer was "simply moving the goalposts," while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised the lack of a target for GP appointments. Starmer denied any change of plan, insisting the milestones doubled down on the "national missions" announced two years ago.
Addressing the risk of ambitious targets, Starmer said: "If there was no jeopardy, no resistance, no blockages for us to remove, then as sure as night follows day that would be a sign that we were not serious about delivering real change." He described Britain as "broken, but not beyond repair," urging a shift away from a "declinist mentality" that has paralysed parts of Whitehall.
