‘6 milestones, 5 missions, 3 foundations: Have Labour’s lists changed too much?’

We like a list at LabourList – the clue’s in the name – but the sheer number of different numbers and lists of Labour priorities in recent years has raised many eyebrows and sometimes left even Westminster journalists struggling to keep up.

In just a few years, we’ve had the six National Policy Forum priorities: a green and digital future, better jobs and better work, safe and secure communities, public services that work from the start,  a future where families come first, and Britain in the world.

We had Keir’s 10 leadership campaign pledges: Economic justice, social justice, climate justice, promote peace and human rights, common ownership, defend migrants’ rights, strengthen workers’ rights and trade unions, radical devolution of power, wealth and opportunity, equality, and effective opposition to the Tories.

We had Labour’s five initial missions: Secure the highest sustained growth in the G7, make Britain a clean energy superpower, build an NHS for the future, make Britain’s street safe, break down the barriers to opportunity at every stage. That was later slightly tweaked on Labour’s website, with the G7 mission rebranded ‘Get Britain building again’, and the crime mission becoming ‘take back our streets’. It also had three “foundations” bolted on where Labour clearly felt further pressure to deliver: economic security, national defence, secure borders.

The election campaign then saw six ‘first steps’: Deliver economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, launch a new Border Security Command, set up Great British Energy, crack down on antisocial behaviour, recruit 6,500 new teachers.

Recently we’ve heard it suggested Labour has two priorities, living standards and immigration.

But today we have another mission revision, with the G7 pledge becoming ‘kickstart economic growth’ – buying wiggle room to “aim to deliver” and “target” the highest G7 growth, not actually achieve it.

On top of that come today’s six milestones, with one for on each mission bar on the economy, which gets an extra one for construction: Raising living standards in every part of the UK, rebuilding Britain with 1.5m homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions, ending hospital backlogs, putting police back on the beat, giving the children the best start in life, securing home-grown energy.

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Some critics will see the series of revisions as a sign of a party too buffeted by events, or of priorities not sufficiently attuned to political reality. There are particular questions about why the G7-topping growth mission was ever signed off, given how much of it is outside the government’s hands.

To be fair to Starmer, though: the six NPF policy areas he didn’t design, his 10 pledges were for an internal election, the five missions “remain robust” two years on (as Starmer put it today), the ‘foundations’ remain from the original missions and manifesto, and Labour’s making decent progress on its ‘first steps’ – whereas the milestones look ahead to the next five years.

Asked by a journalist today if changes were “confusing”, he said he’d had a strategy and “stuck to it”. The missions were designed to give a “sense of purpose”, the six steps were things we “indicated we could do quickly” and now milestones are to help voters “measure…progress on our missions…[let people see] what will it feel like for me’….hold us to account…[and] push and drive the reform we need” in government. He also said he was “doubling down” on trying to get the highest G7 growth.

So for all the tweaks, and speculation the missions could be ditched, Starmer remains a man on not one but five missions.

Read more about the Plan for Change:

• What is Keir Starmer’s Plan for Change – and Labour’s six policy milestones?
• ‘Why Keir Starmer should embrace populism ahead of the next election’
• Plan for Change: ‘Voters will reward Labour in 2029 if Starmer fixes public services’
• ‘Starmer’s ‘Plan for Change’ speech needs to deliver real solutions or face testing voters’ patience’
• Plan for Change: ‘If early years is key for the PM, we need a revamped Sure Start’
• Starmer poised to unveil ‘measurable milestones’ in Labour’s missions for government

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