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

It’s the last week before Christmas recess.

But there was no let-up in the pace of announcements from the government.

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 over the turkey.

Merry Christmas!

1. Over £1 billion for abuse survivors

Labour has launched its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, transforming how councils and the NHS help abuse victims.

It includes:

• Nearly £500 million for councils to provide support in safe accommodation to victims of domestic abuse.
• A new referral service to connect patients to specialist support through their GP, ending the postcode lottery where help depends on where you live. Every area of England will have this service by 2029.
• Up to £50 million for Child House centres, a single place for child victims of sexual abuse to get trauma-informed care. Currently there’s just one in the country, but this will expand them to every NHS region.

2. Workers’ rights upgraded

Labour’s Employment Rights Bill has passed all its stages and will become law.

From April, workers will get day one rights to sick pay and protection from exploitative zero-hours contracts. Bosses also won’t be able to sack employees and rehire them on worse terms.

Workers will have guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts, and payments if shifts are cancelled at short notice. There’s also a new right to unpaid bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss.

3. Expanded college training

Labour is investing over £283 million to expand college capacity and train the next generation of skilled workers.

Around £100 million will go to construction courses to help train 60,000 additional construction workers needed to build 1.5 million homes. Metro mayors and local leaders will decide how to use the rest to meet local needs.

Applications are now open for colleges to become Technical Excellence Colleges in priority sectors like advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence and digital technologies. These will join 10 construction-focused colleges already launched, which will train 40,000 construction learners by 2029.

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4. UK rejoins Erasmus+

Labour has secured the UK’s return to the Erasmus+ programme in 2027.

The programme opens up study and training opportunities for young people, including work placements in European companies for apprentices and further education students.

This fulfils a key commitment made at the UK-EU Summit in May and is part of the government’s reset of UK-EU relations.

5. £78 billion council funding boost

Labour is giving England’s councils almost £78 billion for essential services next year, with the most deprived areas getting the biggest boost.

This is the first multi-year funding settlement in over a decade, giving councils three years of financial certainty to plan ahead. By 2028, councils will see a 23% increase in their core spending power compared to 2024-25. That means more resources to bring back libraries, youth services, and community hubs that were lost during years of cuts.

The most deprived 10% of councils will see a 24% per head funding increase.

6. Air defence for Ukraine

Labour has committed £600 million in air-defence capabilities to help Ukraine through the winter, as Russia targets power stations and energy networks.

Over 1,000 UK-built air-defence missiles have been delivered since June. More than twenty remotely guided counter-drone turrets will arrive in 2026, designed specifically to shoot down Russian Shahed-style attack drones.

Five RAVEN air-defence systems are being handed over now, giving frontline units rapid-reaction protection against low-flying threats. The first GRAVEHAWK systems will reinforce Ukraine’s ability to protect key infrastructure from Russian strikes.

7. Faster broadband for flat owners

Labour has announced a proposal for flat owners to get gigabit-capable broadband connections that freeholders can’t unreasonably refuse.

Currently, leasehold flat owners don’t have a formal right to request high-speed broadband, leaving many stuck with slower connections.

These proposals will remove barriers slowing down gigabit broadband rollout in blocks of flats across England and Wales, making it easier for people to access the high-speed connectivity they need for work, streaming and staying connected.

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