It was a busy week for the Labour government.
While the prime minister was in Antigua for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, there was plenty of tangible progress at home.
Here are the seven most exciting breakthroughs and announcements this week that you can use, whether you’re on the doorstep, sparring on social media, or debating in the pub.
1. Lifetime pensions for private-sector workers
Labour has announced plans to give millions of savers a secure income for the whole of retirement.
Around 17 million private sector workers saving into a pension will be offered a default income that lasts for life, as many public sector pensions already do. Schemes will have to offer it to savers approaching retirement, and anyone who doesn’t want it can choose something else.
Around 46 percent of people making their first withdrawals from pension pots last year took out the whole pot. Labour is consulting on how the new default will work until 22 December.
2. Requiring employers to prevent sexual harassment
Labour’s new legal duty requiring bosses to protect staff has come into force.
As of 30th October, the Employment Rights Act requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, such as training staff or setting a clear reporting policy.
The same protection now covers harassment by third parties, including customers and clients, such as a passenger harassing a bus driver or diners intimidating a waiter.
3. Faster planning decisions for homeowners
Labour is putting more planning applications in front of expert officers.
Previously, applicants had to wait for the next planning committee, but now officers will decide on loft conversions and house extensions directly.
Labour has also recruited 420 planners, against a manifesto pledge of 300, and a new AI tool is expanding to 15 councils to try to halve routine householder decisions from eight weeks to four.
4. Simpler Child Trust Fund access
Labour will legislate to let families access the savings of young adults who lack mental capacity.
At the moment, families have to go through the Court of Protection, a complex and often costly process. Under the new scheme, parents and carers are expected to go directly to the Child Trust Fund provider.
An estimated 63,000 to 126,000 young adults will benefit, and the average fund is worth £2,600.
5. One million extra scans
Labour has expanded the NHS’s capacity to diagnose cancer sooner.
The NHS has added 125 CT and MRI scanners since March 2024, and AI software is also letting MRI scanners carry out 14 percent more scans on average.
Together, this is helping doctors carry out a million extra scans a year.
6. Preventing homelessness among care leavers
Labour has placed new duties on councils to support young people into independent living.
Councils must now publish their plans for care leavers’ housing needs, and certain care leavers under 25 can no longer be found intentionally homeless. The duties come from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act earlier this year.
A new Action Plan brings the duties together and aims to halve the proportion of care-experienced people who are homeless. It comes with a £3 million programme to test new prevention schemes.
7. More than doubling veteran support centres
Labour has funded a second wave of local hubs to help ex-forces personnel.
£13.2 million is going to 21 organisations to run VALOUR-recognised centres, increasing the network from 14 organisations to 34.
Veterans can get help with healthcare, jobs, and housing through a centre, a helpline, or GOV.UK. The first 14 centres were funded in March, and the new ones are due to open by the beginning of 2027.