Missions, first steps and milestones: How Sir Keir Starmer’s priorities have changed since last year

Published

4 months ago

December 6, 2024

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Sir Keir Starmer’s promises to the British people have been evolving since he first outlined his “five missions” in February 2023.

In public, Downing Street denies any tensions between the missions, May’s “first steps” and today’s six “milestones” and three “foundations”.

In private, I’ve been told they have caused divisions, with the focus changing after the original architects left as Labour entered power.

But what really matters is how they have evolved. Here’s how they have changed and what that means.

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The Plan for Change: Economy

Feb 2023 Mission: To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 – with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

June 2024 First Step: Deliver economic stability with tough spending rules, so we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, so working people have more money in their pockets as we aim to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7.

Analysis: The new big economic target – to raise living standards in this parliament – is already on track to be met, according to the government financial watchdog.

Some in government hope this will eclipse the existing target – to overtake the growth rate of all other G7 countries – that was promised in February 2023.

Sir Keir said today he was “doubling down” on the G7 target, despite economists doubting it could ever be achieved, with some sources suggesting it would disappear altogether.

But today it became an “aim”, not a pledge, and the PM hinted he knows it will not be achieved in this parliament by promising the living standards milestone first – do we effectively have a target that isn’t a target?

The Plan for Change: Environment

Feb 2023 Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower to cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero.

June 2024 First Step: Set up Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company, to cut bills for good and boost energy security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Securing home-grown energy, protecting bill payers and putting us on track to at least 95% clean power by 2030, while accelerating the UK to net zero.

Analysis: The 2023 zero-carbon electricity supply mission – and the Labour manifesto – made no mention that the party believes it will have achieved the target while still having up to 5% of electricity generation powered by fossil fuels.

However, Labour did say, including in its manifesto, that a strategic reserve of gas is needed as a last resort, and while the party did not put a figure on it, other bodies suggested the 95% target is consistent with being able to claim the UK has a zero-carbon supply.

The Plan for Change: Building

Feb 2023 Mission: Not mentioned.

June 2024 First Step: Not mentioned.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Rebuilding Britain with 1.5 million homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions for at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects.

Analysis: This contains the big new target of the speech – the 150 decisions on major projects. Sir Keir Starmer is on the side of the builders and the makers. But will they happen? This is the big test of whether those in Whitehall have listened to the speech and will get out of their tepid bath.

The Plan for Change: Crime

Feb 2023 Mission: Take back our streets by halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels.

June 2024 First Step: Clamp down on anti-social behaviour, with more neighbourhood police, paid for by ending wasteful contracts, tough new penalties for offenders, and a new network of youth hubs.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Putting police back on the beat with a named officer for every neighbourhood and 13,000 additional officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special constables in neighbourhood roles in England and Wales.

Analysis: The idea of a named officer is new and ambitious. The 13,000 target was in Labour’s manifesto and Yvette Cooper said the extra £100m next year would fund 1,200 new police officers.

Tories claim this means officers would be redeployed from other areas.

The Plan for Change: Education

Feb 2023 Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity by reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain.

June 2024 First Step: Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects to set children up for life, work and the future, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Giving children the best start in life, with a record 75% of five-year-olds in England ready to learn when they start school.

Analysis: Labour is saying the proportion of children who are ready for school educationally and socially at five will rise from 67% to 75%.

Rolling out better early years provision is a government priority but the nursery sector has been left chronically underfunded. Tories point out there is less of a focus on schools.

The Plan for Change: Health

Feb 2023 Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future that is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

June 2024 First Step: Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments each week, during evenings and weekends, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Ending hospital backlogs to meet the NHS standard of 92% of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment.

Analysis: This is an ambitious, stretching target which has not been hit for almost a decade.

It will take focus and cash, and could come both at the expense of other services like A&E and divert away from Wes Streeting’s big reform plan to move treatments from hospitals to the community.

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The Plan for Change: Migration

Feb 2023 Mission: Not mentioned.

June 2024 First Step: Launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators and use counter-terror powers to smash criminal boat gangs.

Dec 2024 Milestone: Not mentioned as a milestone but is mentioned separately.

Analysis: Not one of the milestones, which has confused some, given its prominence in political debate.

Instead this issue – of secure borders – is one of three “foundations”, alongside economic stability and national security. But six milestones plus three foundations is a lot of priorities.

Politics

Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffs

Published

8 hours ago

April 16, 2025

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Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffs

Italy’s minister of economy and finance warned that US stablecoin policies are more concerning than President Donald Trump’s tariffs, citing the potential for these crypto assets to undermine the euro’s dominance in cross-border payments.

Speaking at an event in Milan, Giancarlo Giorgetti said that while trade tariffs dominate headlines, new US policies on dollar-backed stablecoins present an “even more dangerous” threat to European financial stability, according to a Reuters report.

US stablecoins allow users to invest in a widely accepted method for cross-border payments without opening a US bank account, Giorgetti said. He warned that the growing appeal of US stablecoins to Europeans should not be underestimated.

Giorgetti urged European Union lawmakers to take more steps to boost the euro’s position as an international currency. He added that the digital euro under development by the European Central Bank (ECB) will be essential to minimize the need for Europeans to resort to foreign solutions.

US lawmakers advance stablecoin bills

Presently, stablecoin regulation in the US remains fragmented. Instead of a unified framework, multiple agencies apply existing laws to regulate stablecoins. However, lawmakers are working to implement changes, with several pieces of stablecoin legislation progressing.

On April 2, the US House Financial Services Committee passed the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act. The bill is now headed to the House floor for a full vote.

The bill was introduced on Feb. 6 by Committee Chair French Hill and the Digital Assets Subcommittee Chair Bryan Steil. It would ensure that stablecoin issuers provide information on their businesses, including how their tokens are backed.

In addition, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act establishes rules that require issuers to maintain reserves backed one-to-one, comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws, protect consumers and boost dollar dominance in the global economy.

The GENIUS Act still requires approval by both chambers of Congress and a presidential signature before becoming law.

ECB exec renews digital euro push

Apart from Giorgetti, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone also urged European lawmakers to intensify their efforts to combat dollar-backed stablecoin dominance in Europe. On April 8, Cipollone wrote an article expressing concerns about the growing popularity of US stablecoins.

The official suggested launching a central bank digital currency to combat this threat to the euro. He said this would aid in preserving the monetary sovereignty of the eurozone.

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Politics

OKX reenters US market following $505M DOJ settlement

Published

9 hours ago

April 16, 2025

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OKX reenters US market following 5M DOJ settlement

Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange OKX announced that it is reentering the US market.

According to an April 16 blog post, OKX will return to the United States market along with the appointment of former Barclays director Roshan Robert as its US CEO. Robert said in the post:

“Today, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of OKX’s centralized crypto exchange and OKX Wallet in the United States, alongside the establishment of our regional headquarters in San Jose, California.“

All existing Okcoin users will be migrated to the new platform, which Robert said will lead to a better overall experience. The promised improvements include deeper liquidity, lower fees and advanced trading tools.

OKX reenters US market following $505M DOJ settlement — *Source:* *OKX*

Step by step

OKX will not roll out the upgrade in one shot. Instead, the new platform will take a phased approach to onboard new customers. The exchange plans to follow the cautious approach with a nationwide launch later in 2025.

“We’re beginning with a phased rollout for new customers to ensure a smooth and secure onboarding process, with a broader nationwide launch planned later this year,“ Robert said.

OKX also promised integrations with local banks and support for major assets, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), USDt (USDT) and USDC (USDC). Robert noted that the company maintains a global proof of reserves for all its assets, which is published monthly by cybersecurity firm Hacken.

Hacken had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by publication time.

In addition to its trading platform, the firm is also rolling out OKX Wallet to its US-based customers. The wallet supports 130 blockchains and features a decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, allowing access to over 10 million tokens on platforms including Ethereum, Solana and Base.

OKX gets out of US troubles

The report follows OKX hiring former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to advise it over a federal probe that resulted in the firm pleading guilty to several violations and agreeing to pay $505 million in fines and penalties.

The exchange admitted on Feb. 24 to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in violation of US Anti-Money Laundering laws. As a consequence, OKX agreed to pay $84 million worth of penalties while forfeiting $421 million worth of fees earned from primarily institutional clients.

After the investigation concluded, OKX said it would seek out a compliance consultant to remedy the problems revealed by the federal probe and improve its compliance efforts. OKX’s CEO Star Xu wrote in a Feb. 24 X post:

“Our vision is to make OKX the gold standard of global compliance at scale across different markets and their respective regulatory bodies.”

OKX had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by publication time

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Politics

Government claims car interventions will save £500 a year – but only if you hit a pothole

Published

11 hours ago

April 16, 2025

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Government claims car interventions will save £500 a year - but only if you hit a pothole

Hitting potholes is “all too common”, a minister has insisted amid scrutiny of the government’s claim that new road measures will save drivers £500 a year.

Lillian Greenwood told Sky News Breakfast with Anna Jones that people face “eyewatering” costs if a pothole causes more damage to their car than a puncture, with the average repair job setting them back by £460, according to the RAC.

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This, along with the continued freeze on fuel duty, will save drivers over £500 a year, the government has said, claiming its interventions are easing the cost-of-living crisis for drivers.

It was put to Ms Greenwood that the savings only apply if you hit a pothole in the first place.

Asked if she thinks it’s a common occurrence, she said: “Unfortunately, it’s all too common. And because we’ve had more than 10 years of the Conservatives under investing in our road network, that’s left it absolutely cratered with potholes.”

She said potholes are “probably the biggest issue” when she doorsteps constituents, adding: “They’re really angry about the state of their local roads.

“Far too many people are hitting a pothole and finding they’re having to fork out to get their car fixed.”

Earlier this year, an annual industry report estimated that 17% of the local road network in England and Wales are in poor condition.

It predicted that the one-time catch-up cost to clear the backlog of maintenance issues would cost £16.81bn and take 12 years to complete.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget contained a £1.6bn investment to maintain roads and fix potholes, which it said was an increase of £500m on the 2024-25 budget.

Local authorities will get the first tranche of that money this month.

It comes ahead of the local elections in May, when support for drivers could become a dividing line.

It was put to Ms Greenwood that while trumpeting its motorist-friendly credentials, Labour has also introduced a £1.7bn car tax raid and backed more 20mph low tariff neighbourhoods.

She said the government has left decisions on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to local authorities and many people “want to see drivers going slower”.

The government’s announcement on savings today came alongside a pledge to remove 1,000 miles of roadworks over the Easter weekend in a bid to cut journey times.