In less than a year this Labour government has pursued a radical agenda to rebuild and reform our public services, and finally address the fundamental problems in our economy the Tories ignored for 14 years.
Abdi Duale is a member of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee
The last seven months have seen a political shift since the Labour Party took office. After years of stagnation and decline under Conservative leadership, the country is now witnessing something that has become all too rare, a Government improving our public services and restoring the public’s faith that things can indeed get better.
In less than a year this Labour government has pursued a radical agenda to rebuild and reform our public services, and finally address the fundamental problems in our economy the Tories ignored for 14 years.
Take the NHS, one of the greatest failings of the previous Conservative government. From promising top-down reform in 2010, to an NHS overwhelmingly underprepared and understaffed when the pandemic hit. That slow decay of the NHS evidenced in waiting lists soaring, staff morale plummeting, and patients left suffering.
Under the Tories, the NHS had become a symbol of mismanagement, of broken Britain, with underinvestment and a lack of reform at the heart of this crisis. But under Wes Streeting, Labour has brought a fresh vision, focused on restoring the NHS as a world-class healthcare system, free at the point of use.
The immediate injection of £22.6bn has seen the NHS hiring thousands of new doctors, nurses, and medical professionals, addressing the chronic staff shortages that plagued the system. Labour also ended the junior doctor’s strike, which the last Government prolonged with their dogmatic obsession to ‘take on the unions’.
This Labour government had pledged to reduce waiting times for appointments and surgeries. It has now delivered over two million extra NHS appointments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests seven months early.
Crime and policing were another area the Conservative government failed to grip. Successive cuts to police numbers have seen a slash in the public’s trust in law enforcement. Under Labour, the tide is already turning, with an additional £5 billion allocated for law enforcement across the UK and the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers, making communities safer and improving response times.
But more importantly and following years of growing mistrust, there has been a welcomed focus on rebuilding trust between police forces and the public. A commitment to tackling domestic violence, hate crimes, and anti-social behaviour is further cementing Labour’s position as the party of safety and fairness, and with that restoring the public’s belief in our law enforcement.
Tony Blair coined the phrase, tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime. This Government is rebuilding trust, rebuilding the foundations of trust.
Perhaps one of the most defining legacies of the Conservative government’s failure was its handling of education. Symbolised by budget cuts, overcrowded classrooms, and the lack of investment in training the next generation of teachers. Under Labour, education has once again become a priority.
In just a few months, the Labour government has committed to a sweeping overhaul of the education system, including a £10 billion investment in schools, ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to the best possible education. Labour has also promised to reinstate free school meals for all primary school children and has reintroduced funding for extracurricular programmes that had been cut under the Conservatives.
The government also restored The School Support Staff Negotiating Body, scrapped by the coalition government in 2010, reinstated in recognition of support staff and the vital role play in schools and young people’s education.
Despite fictitious claims the removal of VAT exemption for private schools would bring the education system tumbling down, under Labour, tackling the education gap between wealthier and poorer students has once again become a priority. Focusing on increasing funding for disadvantaged schools and providing mental health support services for students. Labour’s focus on early intervention and inclusive education is creating a more equitable system where no child is left behind.
These are just three areas where Labour is turning the page on Tory decline, but so many other examples exist, whether that’s the Home Office securing our borders, the Justice department rebuilding the crumbling prison services or Angela Rayner building the 1.5 million homes our country so desperately needs.
Compare that record to the Conservatives’ handling of immigration which threw open our borders and exploited migrants to drum up a climate of fear, or their failure that allowed our justice system to crumble, leaving victims unprotected and their pandering to NIMBYs depriving the next generation the security of a home.
In just seven months, the Labour government has delivered results that speak volumes about its commitment to national renewal. The NHS on the path to recovery, policing being strengthened to protect communities, and education being revamped to offer opportunities for all. A stark contrast, the Conservative government left the country grappling with mismanagement, underfunding, and division.
On July 05 2024, the country voted for change. With Keir Starmer at the helm, the UK is on a path to recovery, one that prioritises people over profit, compassion over division, and fairness over fear. The successes so far are just the beginning, and with continued focus and investment, this government is proving that a brighter, fairer future is not just possible, but within reach.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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