Has Labour had an excellent begin in Government? Vote in our ballot and have your say

It’s been nearly five months since Keir Starmer entered No10 after Labour’s landslide victory in the general election – and we want to hear your thoughts on their first few months back in office.

The milestone comes as the Government pushes ahead with the first rollout of free breakfast clubs in primary schools, in a drive to improve behaviour, attainment and attendance. In April, around 750 schools across England will start the year-long pilot, where pupils will receive a nutritious breakfast and parents will get 30 minutes of free childcare.

As part of last month’s Budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves tripled investment in the plan to £33million for 2025-26, including extra cash for equipment and staffing to help early adopter schools trial the scheme. Once the pilot ends in 2026, free breakfast clubs will be introduced in every primary school across the country, meaning some 4.6million kids would be eligible.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall published the Get Britain Working white paper, marking the government’s first major intervention to achieve an ambitious 80 percent employment rate.

The new administration, which is backed by a £240million investment, sets out to target the root causes of unemployment and inactivity, and better join up health skills and employment support. It comes as nearly one and a half million people are unemployed and a staggering 2.8million people out of work due to long-term sickness.

The PM has claimed that he will clamp down on the benefits bill by targeting fraudsters who are trying to “game the system”, adding that those who genuinely need benefits will be treated “with dignity and respect”. In the last five days, the Government has also announced plans to rebrand Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) with ‘respect orders’, in a bid to tackle repeat offenders.

Failing to comply with the orders – set out in Labour’s election manifesto as part of the party’s promise to “return law and order to our streets” – will be a criminal offence. As well as a prison sentence, courts could hand out unlimited fines and order those who flout the rules to carry out unpaid work or abide by a curfew, the Home Office said. The measures are set to be introduced to Parliament as part of a Crime and Policing Bill.

Starmer said that people often think of anti-social behaviour as “low-level crime”, as he told the Mirror: “Anyone who thinks that simply doesn’t get it. Try telling that to someone scared to walk down their street in the evening, the person trying to get to work who has to put up with a vandalised bus shelter, or a young family who can’t enjoy their local park because of intimidating, drunken or loutish behaviour.”

He said the new orders are “about restoring respect – for each other and for our society”, adding: “It’s time to take back our streets.” In further policy announcements this week, on Monday the PM shared details on his plans to make spiking a drink a specific criminal offence, as part of measures to crackdown on violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Starmer outlined plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot expected to start within weeks before a wider rollout next year. Labour has pledged to halve VAWG in the next 10 years, as the PM promises to “bring the vile perpetrators to justice”.

However, more than 2.5million people have signed a petition calling for another general election, accusing the Government of “breaking pledges”. It follows the controversial decision to axe Winter Fuel Payments for more than ten million pensioners, which has continued to spark outrage. Chancellor Rachel Reeves blamed this on a £22billion black hole left behind by the Tories.

With Labour preparing to mark their fifth month in No10, we want to know if you think they have had a good start in office and if you believe it’s “too soon” to be calling an election. Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

The Mirror will also be discussing the topic with you in the comments section below and you can join in! All you have to do is sign up, submit your comment, register your details and then you can take part.