As MPs prepare to return to the Commons next week, Keir Starmer faces a daunting in-tray both at home and abroad. Here The Mirror looks at what’s ahead for the PM in 2026
Keir Starmer spent the Christmas recess relaxing with his family at his countryside Chequers residence – a rare moment of respite after a turbulent year in No10.
But as MPs prepare to return to the Commons next week, the Prime Minister faces a daunting in-tray both at home and abroad. There are negotiations over a Ukraine peace deal, crucial May elections and a battle to fix the cost of living crisis.
There are even whispers among Labour MPs over the Prime Minister’s future in Downing Street if the party suffers a wipeout in elections across England, Wales, and Scotland. Here The Mirror looks ahead to what is on the Prime Minister’s in-tray in 2026.
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1. Cost of living
Keir Starmer recently told The Mirror that bearing down on cost of living pressures clobbering families was his top priority. “I’m very conscious of the fact that people want to get on in life, they want to progress, they want more money in their pocket to do the things that matter to them,” he told us.
It was a promise he mentioned again in his Christmas message. Expect him to bang the drum as a number of policies come into force in the Spring.
These include a massive overhaul of workers’ rights – including rights to sick pay from day one – capping prescription charges and freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years.
Labour will also press ahead with its rollout of free school breakfast clubs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be praying inflation has peaked and that the Bank of England cuts interest rates further ahead of her Spring Statement on March 3.
There will be an economic forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility – but don’t expect any decisions on tax until the Chancellor delivers her Budget in the autumn. Expect more difficult conversations in the Labour Party over welfare reform.
2. NHS waiting lists
Another key priority for the PM in the New Year will be cracking down on NHS waiting lists.
Fixing the health service was a flagship promise at the 2024 General Election and Mr Starmer knows there needs to be serious progress in 2026 to win back voters. Ministers hope investment in the NHS will pay off but there are still grim headlines about patients being forced to wait and be treated in corridors of A&Es.
The Government was dealt a fresh blow in the busy lead-up to Christmas as resident doctors staged a five-day strike despite warnings of a “super-flu”. A war of words broke out between Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the British Medical Association (BMA). The union is now reballoting its members for another six months of industrial action – expect the result in February.
Bringing these strikes to an end will be crucial for progress on waiting lists.
3. Small boats
Channel crossings continue to be a major headache for the Government, and a 13% year-on-year increase is not helpful.
Data showed 41,472 people made the perilous journey – up 13% from 36,816 the previous year, but below the 2022 record of 45,774. Small boat crossings have risen considerably since 299 arrivals were recorded in 2018.
It comes after The Mirror revealed that at least 36 people had died trying to reach the UK from France in 2025 – down from 78 in 2024. Among the dead were a mum and daughter named as Kazaq Ezra, 40, and Agdad Hilmi, eight, who were crushed on a small boat in May.
The Government has announced measures aimed at driving down crossings, including sweeping changes to asylum protections and an agreement with France to return migrants on a one-in-one-out basis.
The PM sees tackling immigration issues as crucial to winning back support from Reform but he risks alienating left-wing voters with hard-line measures. He has also promised to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of the Parliament. Expect work to continue at pace over the coming 12 months.
4. Funding for special educational needs
Labour is planning a huge overhaul of the in-crisis special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in 2026.
Parents are anxiously waiting for the reforms to be announced, with many losing faith in schools, councils and the Government after their kids were let down by the system. Ministers have failed to confirm they won’t cut education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which has caused alarm.
They insist a legal guarantee of support will always exist but could face a backlash if they try to ditch or change EHCPs. Plans to publish the SEND White Paper in the Autumn were delayed to spend more time consulting with parents.
Schools Standards Minister Georgia Gould is hopeful the plans will be received well, telling The Mirror: “The commitments there, and so that gives me a huge amount of hope, although I don’t underestimate the scale of a challenge.”
5. May elections
May’s elections across England, Scotland and Wales will see Keir Starmer face his toughest political test since winning the keys to No10.
With his popularity rating at an abysmal level and Labour languishing in the polls, many expect the party to suffer a bruising night. Voters will be electing councillors across England, including in London where Labour MPs are nervous about the threat posed by Zack Polanski’s Green Party.
This will coincide with major elections in Scotland and Wales – with voters deciding who runs the devolved governments. In Wales, Labour’s First Minister Eluned Morgan faces a tough fight to remain in power – battling for seats with Reform UK and Plaid Cymru – despite her party’s decades-long spell in power.
Labour’s leader in Scotland Anas Sarwar had looked to have a good chance of becoming First Minister following the party’s success at the 2024 general election. But Labour has since sunk in the polls – suggesting the SNP may hold onto power.
6. Leadership
Could 2026 be the year Keir Starmer faces a leadership challenge? There have been whispers among Labour backbenchers if the May elections prove to be a disaster across England, Scotland and Wales. And No10 is clearly aware of such threat.
Just before the Budget, an extraordinary briefing war broke out at the top of government with the PM’s allies accusing Health Secretary Wes Streeting of plotting against him – claims Mr Streeting denies. The incendiary row led to even more anger among Labour MPs.
The PM’s allies have previously said he will fight any challenge – having won a landslide general election less than two years ago.
Any challenger post-May elections would have to secure the backing of 80 MPs willing to go over the edge – a tall order. And Labour MPs will be aware of how the public reacted to the Tory turmoil of changing PMs.
There are also questions over whether ex-Deputy PM Angela Rayner makes a return to government in 2026 after the PM hinted he wanted her back in the Cabinet.
7. China
A high-stakes trip to China is on the cards towards the end of January with Keir Starmer and President Xi Jinping set to meet face-to-face.
It will be the first time a British PM has visited Beijing since Theresa May in 2018 and comes amid major concerns over the threat posed by the country. UK intelligence agencies have warned Chinese spies are targeting government, industry and academia. And earlier this year there was an explosive row over who to blame for the collapse of an espionage case.
But Mr Starmer’s visit shows how crucial a relationship with China is to his mission to grow the economy. Expect a decision on whether the UK will sign-off on a controversial super-embassy in London before the visit.
8. Ukraine
Negotiations over a peace plan for Ukraine will continue into the New Year.
Expect Keir Starmer to escalate planning for the “Coalition of the Willing” group of 30-plus nations willing to police any peace deal struck in the coming months. The PM has also warned a botched peace plan risks paving the way for worse conflict.
Just before the Commons broke up in December, he said: “History is littered with peace agreements in Europe which people had faith in but in the end fell apart and led to even worse conflicts.”
Mr Starmer will continue to seek to influence the erratic US President Donald Trump and No10’s new Trump whisperer Christian Turner will be crucial. The top diplomat will replace ousted Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US in Washington DC. But Russian despot Vladimir Putin is showing no signs of a compromise over ending his nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
9. Europe
Britain will mark 10 years since the Brexit referendum in June and Keir Starmer has been clear of his desire to “get closer” to the EU.
Labour has red lines including no return to the EU’s single market, or customs union. But some Cabinet ministers, including Wes Streeting, appeared to hint in December the UK should seek a new deal for a customs union.
The Government has negotiated with Brussels to rejoin the EU’s student exchange programme, Erasmus, which the UK quit after Brexit.
They are also exploring a youth mobility scheme under a new deal with Europe to allow young people to travel and work freely in the UK and EU. There will be a big moment when the next EU-UK summit takes place in the Spring.