Delivering in Government: your weekly round up of good news Labour stories

It was a busy week for the Labour government.

While the prime minister was busy working alongside European leaders to end the Russia-Ukraine war, there was plenty of momentum in the domestic agenda.

Here are the seven most exciting breakthroughs and announcements this week that you can use, whether you’re on the doorstep, sparring on Twitter, or debating in the pub.

1. Lifting children out of poverty

Labour has laid out its plan to get 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. If successful, it would be the biggest reduction in a single parliament since records began.

Steps include:

• Giving new parents on Universal Credit money upfront to pay for childcare, so they don’t fall into debt and can return to work more easily.
• Reducing the number of children growing up in B&Bs, by investing £8 million in pilot projects across the 20 worst-affected council areas.
• Requiring councils to tell schools and GPs when a child is in temporary accommodation so they can get the help they need.

2. Ending homelessness

Labour has launched its homelessness strategy, backed by £3.5 billion over the next three years.

The plan aims to halve long-term rough sleeping by the end of this parliament, end the unlawful use of B&Bs for families, and prevent more households from becoming homeless in the first place. Public services will also have a new duty to work together to prevent homelessness before it happens.

3. Getting young people into work

Labour is investing £1.5 billion to create apprenticeships and work opportunities for almost a million young people.

The government will cover the full cost of apprenticeships for under-25s at small and medium-sized businesses, opening up thousands of opportunities.

It’s also creating 350,000 new workplace training opportunities for young people on Universal Credit in sectors like construction, health and social care, and hospitality. They’ll get six weeks of training, work experience, and a guaranteed job interview. 

Youth Hubs offering CV advice, skills training, mental health support and careers guidance will expand to every local area – over 360 centres across Britain.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

4. Better buses across the country

Labour is investing £3 billion to improve bus services across the UK.

Councils will get multi-year funding they can spend however they like, including lower fares, new routes, zero-emission buses, and safer bus stops. It also gives them more certainty to make proper investments, compared to year-to-year funding.

This follows the Bus Services Act, which became law in October and gave councils the power to run their own bus services and protect routes that communities rely on.

5. Building thousands of prison places

Labour now has 5,000 new prison places under construction across the country, part of the biggest jail expansion since the Victorian era.

The government has already added 2,900 new places since July 2024, and is on track to hit 14,000 by 2031. It’s also investing up to £700 million extra in probation services by 2028/29, allowing tens of thousands more offenders to be tagged and monitored instead of taking up cells.

6. Cracking down on corruption

Labour has a new anti-corruption strategy to drive dirty money out of the UK.

The Domestic Corruption Unit is getting £15 million for more specialist officers who will investigate bribery and money laundering networks, targeting corrupt lawyers, accountants, and bankers who help criminals move their money.

New vetting rules will stop corrupt insiders with serious misconduct histories from moving between police forces, prisons, and border agencies undetected. From early next year, people linked to criminality will be blocked from border jobs.

7. Clean energy for the devolved nations

Great British Energy is more than doubling its funding for local renewable projects in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

It’s giving an extra £12 million, taking total funding to over £21 million. That will support solar panels on schools, leisure centres, and museums, as well as community solar and wind farms.

In total, GBE will back over 1,000 local and community energy projects across the next five years, letting communities benefit from clean power and lower bills.

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].

• • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].