LONDON — Westminster discourse was blessed with a host of new words and phrases during a tumultuous 2025 — and some of them even made sense. Keir Starmer got to fight with tech bro Elon Musk, schmooze Donald Trump, endure frustration from his MPs over Labour’s dreadful polling, reshuffle his government, and preside over a stagnant economy — all while working out a “vision” some 18 months into office. As 2026 screams into view, POLITICO has looked back over the year and picked out all the weird phrases we’d rather forget. 1. Coalition of the willing: The body of nations that sprang up to support Ukraine as U.S. backing looked dicey. Defined by their “vital,” “urgent” and “pivotal” meetings, but often challenged by an unwilling dude across the pond. 2. Smorgasbord: Sweden’s given us IKEA, ABBA — and now the best way to explain an unsatisfying mix of tax rises. Thanks, chancellor! 3. AI Opportunities Action Plan: Never has a government announcement contained so many nouns. 4. AI MP: Why bother with constituency casework when ChatGPT’s around? Labour MP Mark Sewards bagged some help from LLMs … with mixed results. 5. “Beautiful accent”: Trump’s verdict on Starmer’s voice as the unlikely bromance blossomed. 6. Rent license: Everyone pretended to know about housing law as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faced scrutiny for not having one of these when renting out the family home. 7. Rod fishing license: One for the real hardcore license fans. Then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy faced questions for fishing with U.S. Vice President JD Vance without the right paperwork. In a totally unconnected event, he was reshuffled to the justice department shortly after. 8. Board of Peace: Tony Blair was on the list of people to preside over a post-war Gaza … until he very much wasn’t. 9. Golden economic rule: The Conservatives’ shiny and instantly forgettable plan to restore credibility in managing the public finances. Perhaps the No. 1 rule should have been keeping Liz Truss out of No. 10?   10. Lawyer brain: Starmer was frequently accused of acting like a lawyer, not a leader. At least he had a fixed term back when he was chief prosecutor. 11. Liberation Day: Trump’s big old chart slapped global tariffs on allies and sent Whitehall into a tailspin … before a TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) retreat on some of them. 12. The Andrew formerly known as Prince: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had to settle for a hyphenated surname after outrage about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 13. Raise the colors: Politicians spent the summer showing how much they loved flags as Brits — including organized far-right groups — plastered the Union Jack on every lamppost and roundabout in sight. 14. Lucy Listens: Lucy Powell decided the best way to recover from getting sacked from government was to run for Labour deputy leader, win, and hear endlessly from irate Labour members. 15. Joe Marler: Health Secretary Wes Streeting compared himself to a rugby player from the Celebrity Traitors after he was accused of plotting to oust Starmer. Hanging out in a Scottish castle could be quite cushy if the running-for-PM thing doesn’t work out. 16. Driving the DLR: Starmer’s premiership was compared to steering the, er, driverless part of Transport for London. 17. Double Contributions Convention: National insurance became exciting for a brief second amid a row about the India trade deal. Let’s never make that mistake again. 18. Disruptors: What Starmer wants from his ministers. Alas, they slightly misinterpreted the memo and enjoyed disrupting his leadership instead of the Whitehall status quo. 19. Build Baby Build: Housing Secretary Steve Reed not only mimicked Trump’s words but also donned a red baseball cap. The merch was a treat at Labour conference, but it was all a bit cringe.  20. Trigger Me Timbers: Leaks from this imaginatively-named Labour WhatsApp group saw two MPs suspended for vile language. Remember, assume everything in a group is public.  21. Humphrey: Obviously the best-named AI tool ever, the government’s own tech overlord paid tribute to that most conniving of civil servants in the classic BBC sitcom “Yes, Minister.”  21. Humphrey: Obviously, the best-named AI tool ever, the government’s own tech overlord paid tribute to that most conniving of civil servants in classic BBC sitcom “Yes, Minister.”  | David Zorrakino/Europa Press via Getty Images 22. Right to Try: A phrase describing a new guarantee for people entering work — and which might double up as a stirring campaign slogan for the PM. 23. Patriotic renewal: Get those flags out again as No. 10 presses the jargon button to describe what this whole government thing is about. 24. Thatcher Fest: The celebrations marking the centenary of the Iron Lady’s birth knew no bounds. 25. One in, one out: Britain and France struck a treaty for small boat crossings — until one returned migrant recrossed the English Channel to Blighty.   26. Zacktavist: A new generation of Greens got behind “eco-populist” leader Zack Polanksi — and could treat themselves to a mug with his face on for £7 a pop. 27. Yantar: Russia made its meddling against Britain known by deploying a spy ship into territorial waters … although it failed to remain incognito.   28. Two up, two down: Chancellor Rachel Reeves mooted increasing income tax by 2p and cutting national insurance by 2p … before (probably) realizing it would mark the end of her time in the Treasury. 29. Island of strangers: The PM channeled Reform with a speech on migration featuring this phrase. It was compared to former Tory MP Enoch Powell’s infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech … and Starmer later retracted the whole thing. 30. Bob Vylan: A previously obscure rap duo was thrust into the spotlight after calling for “death, death to the IDF” [Israel Defence Forces] at Glastonbury. The BBC came under fire, because of course it did. 31. Persistent knobheadery: That’s one way for a Labour source to justify suspending the whip from four MPs. 32. Sexist boys’ club: Setting up a political party is harder than it looks. Who’d have thought it? Ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana’s tough words for her fellow independent MPs as the flailing Your Party launched meant some of them left anyway. All’s fair in love and war.   33. F**king suck it up: Running a council is pretty tricky. Reform’s Kent County Council Leader Linden Kemkaran told her fellow councilors they’d have to cope with tough decisions in these colorful terms. Running a council is pretty tricky. Reform’s Kent County Council Leader Linden Kemkaran told her fellow councilors they’d have to cope with tricky decisions in these colorful terms. | Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images 34. Three Pads Rayner: Angela Rayner’s tenure as deputy PM and, erm, housing secretary came to an abrupt end after she failed to pay the correct amount of property tax — but not before earning this moniker. 35. Further and faster: How did the government react to its local elections shellacking? By vowing to carry on in exactly the same way, albeit more intensely. 36. Phase Two: Starmer’s much-hyped fall reset of his government was followed by one calamity after another. Not too late for Phase Three! 37. Danish model: Ministers decided migration could be solved by copying Copenhagen. Anything for a trip to the continent.   38. The Liz Truss Show: Britain’s shortest-serving former prime minister used extra time on her hands to woo MAGAland with yet another political podcast. Cannot be unseen.   39. I rise to speak: MPs deploying this phrase gave an instant red flag that they may, just may, have used AI to help write their speeches.  40. Judge Plus: Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s assurance that her assisted dying bill still had plenty of legal safeguards, despite a High Court judge getting dropped from the process.   41. Pride in Place: After Boris Johnson’s “leveling up” (RIP), Labour tries a similar approach in all but name. 42. Waste Files: Elon Musk inspired a host of U.K. DOGE copycats keen to slash complex government budgets from their armchairs. 43. Project Chainsaw: No, Starmer isn’t suddenly a Javier Milei fan, but his government wanted to reshape the state — with some bandying about this subtle, civil service-spooking nickname. 44. Global headwinds: The ultimate euphemism for how the orange-colored elephant in the room changed everything.   45. Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention: Want Britain closer to the EU? Choose a trade agreement guaranteed to send even the most ardent Europhile to sleep. President Trump’s trade wars caused global headwinds throughout the year. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images 46. Headphone dodgers: A nuisance to everyone, the Lib Dems went full throttle by pledging to fine the public transport irritants £1,000. It’s a wonder the party isn’t leading the polls. 47. StormShroud drones: All wars create an opportunity for futuristic tech that hopefully does what it says on the tin. 48. Return hubs: Ministers insist migration definitely isn’t getting outsourced to other countries by mooting third-party “processing” … something Albania won’t even take part in. See also: Deport Now, Appeal Later.  49. Far-right bandwagon: Starmer’s row with Musk reached a crescendo with the PM’s phrase lobbed at some proponents of an inquiry into grooming gangs operating in the U.K. 50. Impossible trilemma: Ahead of the budget, a top think tank warned that Reeves faced the unenviable task of meeting fiscal targets while sticking to spending promises and not raising taxes. No pressure. 51. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister: Darren Jones’ prefect vibes were rewarded with a brand spanking new gig in the pre-shuffle right at the start of Phase Two. 52. Growth people feel in their pockets: One No. 10 press officer may have collected their P45 after publishing *that* press release. 53. Mainstream: This totally normal, nothing-to-see-here, soft-left Labour group definitely isn’t a vehicle for Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster.   54. Plastic patriots/plastic progressives: The synthetic material really got a kicking from Labour, who deployed the terms to slam Reform and the Greens respectively. Let’s hope voters have reusable bags. 55. Quint: Five lucky people (Starmer, Reeves, Lammy, Jones and Pat McFadden) who apparently decide how government operates. Great job, guys! 56. Hard bastard: The PM’s best effort to show he was “tough enough,” Ed Miliband-style. We all know how that ended.    57. Global Progress Action Summit: Progressives met in a desperate attempt to figure out how to avoid a trouncing from populists. More updates as we get them. 58. Contribution: Reeves’ framing of higher taxes, carefully sidestepping the fact that taxes aren’t optional. 59. Maintenance department: Deffo-not-future Labour leadership contender Wes Streeting’s description of how the party presents itself publicly. Stirring stuff. 60. Terminator: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood earned an Arnie-inspired new nickname as she tried to show Labour is really, really tough on migration, honest. 61. Reverse Midas Touch: Anything the PM touches, including ID cards, is hit by this tragic affliction, according to his critics. 62. V levels: The natural successor to A and T level educational qualifications. Just a matter of time before there’s one for each letter of the alphabet. 63. Culturally coherent: Tory rising star Katie Lam’s justification for deporting legal migrants got her into some hot water. 64. 24/7 circus of sh*t: One former Tory aide’s pithy description of the Home Office. Who are the clowns? 65. Six seven: Nobody over the age of 11 understands this meme — yet the PM unleashed havoc in a classroom by joining in. 66. Civilizational erasure: America’s dystopian portrayal of what Europe is facing probably won’t feature in many tourist brochures. 67. Turning renewal into reality: Starmer’s ambition for next year in his final Cabinet meeting of 2025. Bookmark that one.

LONDON — The Conservatives might be stuck in the wilderness of opposition. But a host of digital warriors are determined to turn their fortunes around. Wounded by an election rout delivering the party’s worst ever result last year, a band of battle-hardened millennials and Gen Z whizzkids are trying to keep the flame of U.K. conservatism burning bright. Despite languishing in the polls and facing constant threats from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, some Tories are keen to show they’ve not given up the fight by posting snappy, eye-catching social media videos.  “It’s absolutely essential that they bring through some new talent,” argued Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, and author of The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation. Pointing to opinion polling about the last Tory government, Bale argued, “people are not prepared to forgive that generation of politicians.” Party Leader Kemi Badenoch’s position remains insecure ahead of Tory conference this fall, with some Conservatives eying former leadership opponent Robert Jenrick as a possible successor. The shadow justice secretary has garnered a significant following on X by posting videos lambasting the government in a direct, no-nonsense style. Topics include tackling Tube fare dodgers and visiting northern France to meet migrants planning to cross the English Channel. Jenrick, it seems, has inspired others to follow suit. Here, POLITICO runs through the Tory posters keeping the dream of actually governing again alive.  KATIE LAM  The Weald of Kent MP went viral on X in April for a punchy parliamentary speech about grooming gangs.   Lam makes regular appearances on podcasts like the Spectator’s Coffee House Shots and less traditional outlets like football chairman Peter McCormack’s show. Serving as a Home Office whip, an X video last month about migration’s impact on public services — using pink beads to represent immigrants and jars to represent Britain — was praised for explaining a complex policy in an understandable way. Bale speculated whether videos like this aimed to boost the profile of newer MPs with journalists: “Although it seems like going over the heads of the media, actually, to be honest, Twitter is going through the media.” Lam has posted long social media threads on the economy, parliamentary sovereignty, the Equality Act and grooming gangs. Her ubiquity on the think tank and parliamentary circuit even saw a video compiling her appearances to the soundtrack of Blondie’s Atomic. And she met JD Vance during the U.S. vice president’s vacation in Britain. DANNY KRUGER  Kruger was a key figure during the dying days of the last Conservative government. Previously David Cameron’s chief speechwriter and Boris Johnson’s political secretary, Kruger has seen the Tories through highs and lows. He shows no signs of slowing down. Kruger was a key figure during the dying days of the last Conservative government. | Justin Tallos/AFP via Getty Images The East Wiltshire MP led the campaign against the assisted dying bill, with clips of him opposing the proposed change in law widely shared online — and emphasizing that conservatism was built around people’s duty to one another.   A 2023 book “Covenant: The New Politics of Home, Neighbourhood and Nation” was expanded on with a lengthy X thread about religion after MPs approved assisted dying. Kruger’s reach grew even larger with a viral Commons speech in July about restoring Christianity. The chamber was empty — but his comments were viewed millions of times. Kruger also met Vance over the summer.  NICK TIMOTHY  Timothy was only elected last year, but is a political veteran. The West Suffolk MP had a bumpy time as Theresa May’s joint chief of staff in No 10. He resigned after the then PM spectacularly lost her parliamentary majority in 2017 on a manifesto he co-authored.  Entering the Commons seven years later, Timothy has reinvented himself, writing punchy columns on topics as broad as net zero, assisted dying and immigration.   He has made a running arguing that free speech is under attack, and accusing Britain’s politicians of allowing a de facto blasphemy law to take hold. Introducing a private members’ bill on freedom of expression, Timothy attracted attention after questioning whether criticism of Islam is now allowed in modern Britain. He may be an old hand, but he’s shown an adeptness at grabbing attention in the modern age.  Timothy attracted attention for raising concerns about whether criticism of Islam was allowed. | Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA HARRIET CROSS   The Conservatives had few successes last year, but did manage to hold most of their Scottish seats, including the new Gordon and Buchan constituency in north east Scotland, which elected Cross as its MP. The One Nation Tory, who originally backed centrist Tom Tugendhat in the leadership race, has campaigned online strongly on issues that tend to cause Labour trouble.   Labour’s refusal to grant any new oil and gas licences and instead focus on renewable energy was leapt upon by Cross, whose seat is right by fossil fuels hotspot the North Sea. She posted regular videos from parliament defending employment in fossil fuel industries and trying to set a clear dividing line.   Labour’s inheritance tax changes for farmers also attracted her ire, and she was tapped up to introduce Scottish Tory Leader Russell Findlay at the party’s summer conference. Given the tough prospects facing the Tories at next year’s Holyrood elections, expect Cross’ star to rise. JAMES COWLING   Cowling has run Next Gen Tories since November 2022, an organization that puts “tackling the generational divide” at its core. Previously a parliamentary researcher, Cowling regularly posts graphics about modern housing costs.   Alongside working at the London Stock Exchange Group, Cowling has written for free market CapX website, where he suggested that a “vibe shift” backing fiscal responsibility could benefit the Tories. He told City AM that delivering infrastructure projects and lowering taxes was essential to stop young people from backing authoritarianism. Cowling has shown a willingness to debate opponents on the left-wing PoliticsJOE podcast too, which has a sizable young audience.  James Fisk, Next Gen Tories’ social media and content lead, said digital media creators should “enjoy it as much as possible” and not take it “ridiculously seriously, because people will see through it.” But Fisk admitted, “you really win people over in person.”   SIMON CLARKE  Clarke served in Liz Truss’ disastrously short administration, and was among hundreds of Tory MPs ejected from parliament last year, albeit by a tiny margin of 214 votes. However, he’s not opted to retreat from politics, and instead thrown himself into wonk world, heading up the center-right Onward think tank since January. “If you’re not shaping the digital debate, you’re at risk of talking to empty air,” Clarke told POLITICO, stressing the Tories needed to present their ideas confidently. “We’ve often tried to win online arguments with corporate tone and committee lines — and it doesn’t work.”  Clarke has certainly had some fun by answering 20 quickfire questions on an exercise bike, walking and talking around Westminster and (temporarily) becoming the new James Bond with “a license to build” as chair of Conservative YIMBY. Maybe losing your seat isn’t so bad after all? “If you’re not shaping the digital debate, you’re at risk of talking to empty air,” Simon Clarke told POLITICO. | Tolga Akmen/EPA JAMES YUCEL   Yucel directs Conservative YIMBY’s day-to-day operations (as well as working at Onward). An organization existing “to make the Conservative Party the home of the builders once again,” its Yes In My Back Yard approach starkly contrasts with older Tory voters, many of whom oppose new housing.  Conservative YIMBY’s first policy document, which was launched in a Westminster townhouse, outlined eight ways the Planning and Infrastructure Bill could be improved. The group’s denim blue “build baby build” baseball caps, costing £15, have become prolific, with Katie Lam, Tory Chairman Kevin Hollinrake and even Kemi Badenoch herself persuaded to wear them. Yucel sees former Home Secretary James Cleverly, who now shadows the housing brief, as an ally in his battle and has argued forcefully for the right to back more housing. But he has also defended Badenoch in a separate thread for her skepticism about Labour “overriding local democratic consent” on housing. The Tories want to fundamentally show they’ve got a USP for younger voters. “The Conservative Party has got an existential problem,” Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein warned. “It doesn’t have the support of enough young people, and if it doesn’t win that support, it can’t survive.”

LONDON — At least he’s outlasted Liz Truss.  Britain’s embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer swept into office on a landslide a year ago this Saturday. Turns out that was the easy part — and the Labour leader’s No.10 tenure seems to have only continued the volatile trend of British politics over the past decade. As the big anniversary approaches, let POLITICO take you on a stroll down memory lane. JULY 2024 Starmer enjoyed a blink-and-you ’ll-miss-it honeymoon. After winning that landslide victory, the newly-minted prime minister promised a “mission of national renewal” and an end to “self-serving and self-obsessed” politics. It worked — briefly. The PM got to stride the world stage at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. and got going with a king’s speech packed full of policies.  But this month also sowed the seeds for trouble to come — particularly on the social security front. The government removed the whip from seven Labour MPs who backed an end to Britain’s two-child welfare cap. More significantly still, Chancellor Rachel Reeves moved to restrict winter fuel payments to only the poorest pensioners — blaming a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories. Success rating: 6/10. A confident-seeming start — but slashing winter fuel funding would only come back to haunt Starmer. AUGUST 2024 Starmer cancelled his summer holiday as Britain was hit by far-right rioting. It erupted after the murder of three schoolgirls. The PM’s tough crackdown — pulling on his record as the top prosecutor for England and Wales to deploy specialist police officers who quickly arrested and charged perpetrators — was largely commended, even if it triggered Elon Musk. Much less praised was “Freebiegate” — Labour’s first real ethics scandal, which saw heavy scrutiny of gifts and perks to ministers from Labour donors. Starmer then tried to buoy spirits with a … depressing speech in the Downing Street rose garden saying the pain would get worse. He later regretted that the speech had “squeezed the hope out.” You don’t say. The PM endured the treasury minister Tulip Siddiq resigning amid a Bangladesh corruption probe, and he got a threat from Liz Truss, who insisted she’d get the lawyers in if he kept saying she crashed the economy. | Andy Rain/EPA Success rating: 5/10. A decisive response to rioting soon got overshadowed by a sleaze row. SEPTEMBER 2024 In a bid to maintain support for Ukraine, Starmer went to Washington pleading for then-U.S. president Joe Biden to let Kyiv use Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia. The PM came away empty-handed — but did at least get to dine with Donald Trump. That turned out to be a shrewd move. Starmer made an erm, interesting intervention in another seemingly intractable overseas conflict by … demanding the “return of the [Israeli] sausages” during his speech at Labour conference. Success rating: 6/10. Starmer’s unfortunate gaffe aside, building the Trump link early certainly did him no harm. OCTOBER 2024 Now for the proper drama. No. 10 was thrown into fresh turmoil when Sue Gray quit as Starmer’s chief of staff after just three months.  A former civil service big beast, Gray’s position became untenable after multiple briefings against her. Elections guru Morgan McSweeney succeeded Gray. He would quickly run into his own problems in managing No. 10 effectively. The PM at least got to flee to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting with King Charles. He then flew back into a major economic moment as Reeves gave her first budget, which changed farming inheritance tax rules, hiked national insurance contributions and saw £40 billion in tax rises. It got a mixed verdict, with Labour MPs happy with more health, education and defense funding, plus a boost to the minimum wage. Reeves’ decisions were the clearest indication the Labour administration would be different from the Tories. Success rating: 5/10. No.10 in turmoil, but hey, I got to hang out with the king. NOVEMBER 2024 Donald Trump decisively won a second term as U.S. president — forcing world leaders everywhere to adapt to the new reality. Starmer rang Trump the very same day. In a bid to maintain support for Ukraine, Starmer went to Washington pleading for then-U.S. president Joe Biden to let Kyiv use Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia. | Leszek Szymanski/EPA The PM, meanwhile, authorized Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles targeted at Russia. He met Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time at the G20 in Brazil — and insisted human rights issues were raised. The month also saw Starmer’s first cabinet resignation when Louise Haigh quit as transport secretary over a historic fraud conviction. The swift change of personnel was brutal — showing Starmer can be ruthless when he wants to be. Success rating: 7/10. Starmer seemed more decisive at home and abroad. DECEMBER 2024 Six months in? Time for a “don’t call it a reset” reset speech.  Alongside five missions and three foundations, the PM gave a speech unveiling six milestones on which voters should judge him. He promised higher disposable income, more police and making children “school-ready.” No pressure. Starmer also started to generate “air miles Keir” headlines with overseas trips to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Norway and Estonia. The PM also managed his first holiday since the general election, heading to Madeira with his family. Success rating: 7/10. No massive drama here — and a break must have been nice. JANUARY 2025 A new year dawned, but the challenges kept piling up. X owner and then-Trump ally Elon Musk launched a tirade against Starmer’s government for perceived inaction on grooming gangs responsible for child sexual exploitation. Though Starmer commissioned an audit, the PM lambasted what he called a “far-right bandwagon” jumping on events for their own gain. That position would look shaky later. The PM endured the treasury minister Tulip Siddiq resigning amid a Bangladesh corruption probe, and he got a threat from Liz Truss, who insisted she’d get the lawyers in if he kept saying she crashed the economy. The remainder of the short-serving Tory former PM’s legacy won’t have done him much harm. Success rating: 5/10. The world’s richest man swept into British politics to Starmer’s detriment and upended the news agenda. The grooming gangs issue would not go away. Expectations for Keir Starmer’s first meeting with Donald Trump in the White House were pretty low. | Pool Photo by Ludovic Marin via EPA FEBRUARY 2025 Expectations for Starmer’s first meeting with Trump in the White House were pretty low. The center-left legal eagle and the brash Republican game show host are not natural allies. But the PM managed to play the game deftly, offering the U.S. president a second state visit invite from King Charles himself. Trump, in turn, praised Starmer’s “beautiful accent” and insisted he could work out any trade differences with the U.K. Starmer even managed to shut opinionated Vice President JD Vance up for a bit. The PM pre-empted the trip with a Trump-pleasing vow to hike defense spending. However, that came with a cost — development minister Anneliese Dodds quit, warning that funding the pledge by cutting overseas aid would cause real harm to the most vulnerable.  Success rating: 7/10. Starmer defied expectations to storm his Oval Office meeting — but lost a government ally. MARCH 2025 Just a day after Starmer’s own visit, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a nightmare encounter in the Oval Office as he was publicly belittled by Trump and Vance. While other world leaders tweeted their concern, the PM literally hugged Zelenskyy close, hosting a London Summit about Ukraine’s future and helping gin up a “coalition of the willing” to guarantee peace after any deal with Russia. A lack of any U.S. buy-in for this one means the jury is very much still out, although Starmer managed to move without enraging the White House. Far trickier for Starmer this month was the unveiling of a host of welfare cuts. The measures were initially announced in Reeves’ spring statement — and an impact assessment laid bare the potential impact on families, storing up huge problems for later. Success rating: 5/10. International wins — but big domestic trouble brewing. APRIL 2025 The special relationship didn’t shield Britain from Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The U.K. still faced the brunt of the U.S. president’s trade levies (even if Starmer later bagged carve-outs that would elude the EU). In one of the most dramatic moments of his premiership so far, parliament was also recalled for a rare Saturday sitting as it approved rapid-fire legislation effectively nationalizing a key steel plant in Scunthorpe. It was a decisive moment that has saved jobs — even if big questions remain about the site’s future. Success rating: 8/10. Starmer got through the tariff troubles and protected a key domestic industry. A dreadful set of local elections saw Labour lose hundreds of councillors and Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. win many councils. | Neil Hall/EPA MAY 2025 A dreadful set of local elections saw Labour lose hundreds of councillors and Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. win many councils. It set off soul-searching in the Labour ranks and made clear Farage is now the biggest rival to Labour. Sensing the threat, Starmer gave a speech about controlling migration which warned of a Britain becoming an “island of strangers.” The PM later said he “deeply regrets” using the term. On overseas affairs, Starmer had some wins: a long-coveted trade agreement with India (complete with a row about tax on Indian workers), a decently-received “reset” with the EU, and a much-hyped trade deal with the U.S. that got Trump purring but which left plenty of holes to be filled in. The controversial agreement to hand over control of the Chagos Islands was also signed — angering figures on the right but at least without triggering Team Trump. Success rating: 4/10. Labour got a decisive thumbs down from voters, which is hard to offset with some trade deal progress. JUNE 2025 Starmer was allowed a small cheer when Scottish Labour unexpectedly won a Holyrood by-election. But that was as good as it got. A flurry of defense, national security and China reviews allowed Starmer to highlight challenges Britain faced — while fears of a huge flare-up in the Middle East haven’t yet come to fruition after Trump deployed U.S. bombers in Iran. But June will forever be the month of U-turns. Reeves confirmed that far more pensioners will get winter fuel payments after a major voter backlash. Starmer also announced a national grooming gang inquiry — and made huge welfare concessions when more than 100 Labour MPs made clear they couldn’t support the proposals. Even that wasn’t enough (see next month). After a bitter battle, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s bill paving the way for assisted dying passing the Commons. It’s a change Starmer has long personally backed. Success rating: 5/10. Few remember reviews. Everyone remembers U-turns. JULY 2025 Arguably Starmer’s worst month to date — and it isn’t even five days old. The £5 billion Rachel Reeves was hoping to save from welfare vanished into thin air just an hour before the package was voted on, as the government filleted its own bill in the wake of a major rebellion. It raised huge questions about Starmer’s judgment and the make up of his top team. The £5 billion Rachel Reeves was hoping to save from welfare vanished into thin air just an hour before the package was voted on. | Will Oliver/EPA Markets wobbled the next day as Chancellor Rachel Reeves cried in the House of Commons over a “personal issue” — and Starmer declined to give her his long-term backing before fulsomely doing so in a mop-up interview later that night. Just another normal day. Success rating: 2/10. At least parliamentary recess is coming up.

LONDON — It took months of careful convincing, tugging at heartstrings and countering deeply held concerns — but Britain’s House of Commons has passed legislation to legalize assisted dying. After a highly charged and at-times toxic debate, MPs on Friday voted by 314 to 291 votes to back giving terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months left to live a route to medically ending their lives. Further legislative skirmishes in the House of Lords are due before it becomes law. But if the does leap those final hurdles (and the expectation is that it will) it won’t be because of the government. This potentially seismic change to the nation’s social fabric was concocted and carried through by a backbench Labour MP. POLITICO has spoken to dozens of legislators and campaigners on both sides of the debate to tell the in-depth story of how the Commons decided to overturn the status quo. ‘MY PHONE STARTS GOING MAD’ Kim Leadbeater was more surprised than anyone when she came top of a private members’ bill ballot last year, giving her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shepherd through a new law. It was in a wood-paneled committee room in the recesses of Britain’s Parliament that a white-gloved hand plucked ball number 238 out from a glass jar on the morning of September 5. The MP overseeing those formalities announced with all the pizazz of a seaside bingo caller that it was Leadbeater who had topped the ballot. “Well done to Kim, you are number one, and you will be — gosh — very busy indeed,” they said. At that moment Leadbeater was getting changed in one of the estate’s bathrooms, having returned to Westminster after playing tennis against political rivals. “I took all my clothes off,” the Labour MP said with a laugh in an interview with POLITICO earlier this month, “and my phone starts going mad. I thought, oh my god, it’s a Thursday morning, what the heck is happening here?” Such were the extremely low chances of being picked at all, Leadbeater hadn’t realised it was the draw that day. But she was immediately inundated with queries about what issue she would take on. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,” she told those at the end of her phone. “So I put some clothes on and made my way back to the office and went ‘what just happened?’” It was, as Leadbeater described it in the interview from her office overlooking London’s River Thames, “the day my life changed forever … again.” ‘WE’RE HERE TO CHANGE THE LAW’ Leadbeater’s journey to being elected as MP for Batley and Spen (now renamed Spen Valley) is uniquely tragic.  Her sister, Jo Cox, represented the community until a week before the Brexit referendum in 2016 when she was shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist — murdered as she went to meet voters at a routine surgery in her Yorkshire constituency. Leadbeater would go on to run a charity in her sister’s name, but when the seat again became vacant in 2021, she was put forward for the acrimonious by-election to follow. She won by just 323 votes, in a time when Labour was at a low ebb in the national polls. In the proceeding years, through Labour’s stint in the depths of oppositions then its first months in government, Leadbeater’s identity, as she puts it, was “very much around being Jo’s sister.” So she bided her time as the phones rang across her offices in Westminster and back in her constituency — with various lobbying groups trying to attach themselves to her golden ticket from the private member’s ballot. Leadbeater insists that No.10 Downing Street never got in touch to ask her to take up the issue, but neither did they need to. The prime minister’s long-held support for reform would be crucial in the government not crushing the bill. It was 2015 and the last time the Commons considered changing the law on assisted dying was when Starmer, the fledgling MP for Holborn and St Pancras, made his first big intervention in the political arena.  Just months into the job, Starmer, the former chief prosecutor for England and Wales-turned-MP, advocated — in detail — why the nation needed to break from the status quo in which people who help someone end their life could be jailed for up to 14 years. In a speech described politely as “lawyerly,” he set out how he changed legal guidance to make it less likely that people motivated by compassion would face prosecution if they helped dying relatives end their lives abroad, a not uncommon act for those who have sufficient resources.  That day MPs threw the legislation out comprehensively, with the pro-change camp losing by 212 votes. But it stuck Starmer’s staunch support on record — and as he came closer to seizing high office for the Labour Party it ensured he was repeatedly asked about it. It was after a conversation with Esther Rantzen, the veteran U.K. broadcaster who has terminal cancer and has passionately advocated for assisted dying, that Starmer in March last year promised to give MPs a free vote on a change in the law if he won power.  It didn’t end up in his manifesto but upon taking office he made clear he would allow sufficient parliamentary time to be devoted to a backbencher who proposed changing the law. Leadbeater didn’t have the personal connection to assisted dying that many advocates would later spill out in powerful testimony. But she recalled a conversation with a constituent with Huntington’s disease in the lead up to 2024’s general election. “We’re here to change the law,” she thought. “We’ve got a responsibility. If we look at a situation which is wrong, we’ve got a responsibility to do something about that.” As her colleagues lobbied her to take on the issue, Leadbeater consulted with her parents. “Obviously their primary concern for me is my happiness, but also my safety,” she told POLITICO. “And on a controversial issue like this, that is something you’ve got to consider.” Kit Malthouse, a senior Conservative MP who is a long advocate of assisted dying, described Leadbeater winning the ballot as a moment “the planets aligned.” Not only was Leadbeater popular, she had spent her time so far in the Commons fostering cross-party alliances. “It was the right dynamic in Parliament. The right person came first in the ballot,” Malthouse said. “The only issue was to get Kim to say yes. To her eternal credit she did.” PASSIONS RUN HIGH On October 3, Leadbeater announced it was assisted dying she’d go for. In the following weeks, she set out her proposals for the change in law for England and Wales, fit with a raft of safeguards. First among them was it would only apply to adults with a terminal diagnosis of less than six months to live. She pleaded for restraint and a calm debate on a subject that polling suggests has the support of public opinion. A convergence of proposed changes across Scotland and the crown dependencies of Jersey, Isle of Man and Guernsey suggested too that this could be the moment for reform in England and Wales too.  But within weeks the passions were running high. Political opponents were mounting fierce attacks — and even then head of the Church of England Justin Welby was calling it a “slippery slope” that would leave people feeling compelled to end their lives. Supportive MPs received a barrage of angry messages both on email and on social media, called murderers by the more extreme opponents of the change, which critics preferred to call “assisted suicide.” If the plan commanded broad support generally, the opposition in some quarters was particularly intense. It was particularly challenging to hear for an MP whose own sister had been murdered on the job. “On this issue, which means so much to so many people, she would have been the first one to say, just keep going,” Leadbeater said of Jo Cox. Starmer set aside typical collective responsibility for the Cabinet, which usually dictates that ministers take the same position on policy. They would be allowed to vote as they please, but were ordered to remain neutral on the passage of the bill and on the issue. In reality, they were anything but. Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood were the two cabinet ministers whose briefs would most directly be impacted by the proposals — but they were also the two biggest opponents. Mahmood told the Times newspaper she would vote against it because of her “unshakeable belief in the sanctity and the value of human life” as a Muslim.  Streeting, who voted for a change in the law in 2015, also let it be known he would vote against the bill over concerns the state of palliative care in the U.K. means patients cannot make an informed choice. Then Streeting suggested the change could lead to cuts in other NHS services and ordered a formal review into the cost of the proposals. Leadbeater publicly said she was “disappointed” by Streeting’s intervention in particular, as privately those around her admitted it presented the moment of maximum jeopardy.  Others put it less discreetly. One prominent pro-assisted dying campaigner, who like other parliamentarians in this piece were granted anonymity to speak candidly, told POLITICO they were extremely “fucked off” with Streeting. Not only is he an influential figure in the Labour Party, he is the health secretary that would have to implement assisted dying. Campaign groups launched lobbying operations and high-profile supporters and critics were enlisted. Rantzen kept the pressure up, but disability rights activists, including the actor Liz Carr and paralympic wheelchair racing champion Tanni Grey-Thompson were prominent anti voices. Grey-Thompson, a member of the House of Lords, warned of a “seismic shift” in the way the health care system treats the most vulnerable people. The state of end-of-life care became one major point of contention, so too did the coercion of patients into ending their lives early. Every step of the way Leadbeater was there on the airwaves and current affairs programs to try and make the case and combat the concerns. “It has taken over her life,” one of her supporters said. But she was aided by a team of aides and MPs from across the political spectrum to push through the change, with senior figures in each party launching informal whipping operations to tally the supporters and help win over those weighing up how to act. ‘THE WORST OF PARLIAMENTS’ MPs got their first formal say on November 29, debating the principles of the legislation at what’s known as the bill’s second reading — and given a free vote on what was considered a matter of conscience. Those on both sides stood to tell harrowing personal stories as they made their cases. The debate was genuine and the grandstanding was minimal. A not-insignificant portion of MPs expressed their skepticism but said they’d vote in favor this time to allow the debate before giving their final verdict at third reading.  After MPs filed into the division lobbies in to register their votes late least year it became clear the supporters had won. 330 MPs, including Keir Starmer, voted for, 275 against — majority 55. The Commons was silent as the votes were read out. Leadbeater told POLITICO “it was a huge relief” but knew there was “still a huge amount of hard work ahead.”  The shenanigans to follow would only help sour the debate. “It went from the best of parliaments to the worst of parliaments,” one wavering MP acknowledged this week. A committee of MPs was compiled by Leadbeater to scrutinise the proposals line by line, coming up with key amendments to make it workable. It was finely balanced to be representative of the debate and reflect the political make-up of the house. But some opponents were still not happy, with one anti MP saying that Danny Kruger, a Conservative on the Christian right, was a “useful bogeyman.” The process saw a number of significant changes to the bill as neutral civil servants helped with honing of the legislation. Leadbeater had previously described the role of high court judges as being an important safeguard against coercion, but she scrapped this in the face of Ministry of Justice pressure over the extra strain cases would place on already stretched courts. Instead expert panels formed of a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist and a social worker, will scrutinise decisions.  A longer, four-year implementation period was introduced, health workers were given an opt-out of participation and they agreed that the Welsh parliament would get a say before its implementation there. Last year a symbolic vote in favor of assisted dying was lost, raising questions about whether Wales’ Senedd would back it in the future. MPs in the anti-camp had long been divided in their opposition. Objections came from disparate directions, including religious ones, fears about the provision of palliative care, and concerns that society’s most vulnerable may be coerced into dying. “We have a unity of purpose, it’s about choice. But the opponents are against it for various different reasons,” said Christine Jardine, a prominent Liberal Democrat supporter. But in the weeks leading up to the final vote, opponents did coalesce around a more unified cause. They rallied against the “chaotic” process of the private members’ bill and attacked what they saw as a distinct lack of scrutiny for such a big changed. They were in turn accused of adding to the chaos themselves, causing delays to subsequent votes by holding up the division lobbies. Malthouse, the pro-assisted dying senior Conservative MP, said of his opponents: “They clearly made a tactical decision after second reading. On the grounds of principle they had lost. All they had to go on then was process.” When the Commons came to vote on the amendments at report stage, the mood was fractious. Leadbeater got her new clauses banning advertising assisted dying and allowing doctors to opt-out — but an opponent’s amendment preventing doctors discussing the process with under-18s was passed too.  Interventions from medics including the Royal College of Psychiatrists raising concerns about the bill in its existing form were particularly potent. A trickle of MPs said publicly they were switching to support — but this was outweighed by those who announced they would vote against, including with interventions to POLITICO. After MPs stated their cases for and against in an impassioned chamber on Friday afternoon, the result was clear. Leadbeater’s legislation passed 314 to 291 votes — trimming the majority in favor down from 55 at second reading to just 23 this time around, in a reflection of the late-stage agonizing that had gone on among lawmakers over the bill. On the eve of the final debate, Leadbeater’s Labour colleague Vicky Foxcroft resigned as a government whip in protest at unrelated proposals to reduce the spiraling welfare bill by reducing the number of people in receipt of a disability payment. But Foxcroft stood up in the chamber Friday to say that although she backed assisted dying in 2015 her time as a shadow minister for disabled people had caused her to reconsider. “They want us as parliamentarians to assist them to live, not to die,” she said — passionately arguing she couldn’t back the legislation because the process hadn’t sufficiently listened to the voices of the vulnerable. WHAT’S NEXT? Some opponents believe it’s still possible the unelected House of Lords, where longtime supporter and former justice secretary Charlie Falconer is likely to pick up the baton, will try to vote it down. Leadbeater said: “I would be extremely upset if that were to happen, and I would be extremely disappointed and surprised, actually, if that were to happen.” The Lords have been supportive in the past and most just expect further honing of the bill. Tanni Grey-Thompson said “I’m not sure we can stop it” but “our role since I’ve been in the Lords has been more and more about fixing legislation.” Technical questions remain over whether there are sufficient Fridays within the current parliamentary term for the private member’s bill to be debated further if a back-and-forth with the Lords known as “ping pong” can be completed — though supporters expect the government won’t let it founder.  The 2029 “backstop” for actually implementing the change happens to coincide with the deadline to hold Britain’s next general election, but Leadbeater’s team believe there’s little chance ministers would want the issue hanging over the campaign. The legislation is now largely out of her hands. But it could be years before it actually allows the first person to medically end their suffering in their final days — and perhaps decades before assisted dying is accepted as normal in the U.K. Leadbeater will forever be associated with the monumental change and supporters will long celebrate her for it. But with that she can expect to be called upon to assuage the very real concerns that will persist. Esther Webber and Noah Keate contributed to this report.

PARIS — France took a major step toward legalizing assisted dying on Tuesday as a majority of members of parliament voted in favor of landmark legislation. In the French lower house — the National Assembly — 305 MPs voted to pass a bill granting “a right to assistance in dying for adult patients afflicted with a serious illness who have requested it,” while 199 voted against. France joins a growing list of Western European countries that are moving toward enabling people to end their lives under strict conditions. Those who oppose assisted dying warn such laws can endanger vulnerable people, especially young people and those with mental health conditions. The French bill includes several safeguards to prevent such outcomes. To be eligible, patients must be over 18 and either French nationals or permanent residents. They must also have a “serious and incurable” illness that is both life-threatening and has reached an “advanced” or “terminal” stage. Meanwhile, their suffering — whether physical or psychological — must be considered “unbearable” or “resistant to treatment.” Patients must be capable of giving informed consent, and must self-administer the lethal medication, unless unable to do so. The final call is to be made by each patient’s doctor. The legislation requires that doctors consult with at least one other medical professional who specializes in the patient’s pathology, as well as with a health care worker who was involved in the person’s care. Assisted dying is already legal in various forms in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. In the U.K., British MPs voted in favor of legalization in November, and the legislation is currently nearing its final phase. The French bill will now be debated in the Senate, which is controlled by a conservative majority that could seek to amend or remove several provisions. If the parliamentary process fails to produce an agreement between the two chambers, President Emmanuel Macron — who promised the legislation during his 2022 campaign — has suggested the issue could be put to the public via a referendum, although constitutional experts have questioned the legality of such a move. French lawmakers also unanimously green-lit a separate bill to improve palliative care in France.

LONDON — The U.K. parliament is set to consider decriminalizing abortion in England and Wales this summer, two people with knowledge of the plans have told POLITICO. Two backbench Labour MPs are drawing up separate proposals to change the law which would be brought before MPs in the coming months, after previous plans ran out of time before the 2024 general election. The proposed amendments to a government bill look likely to prompt the second high-profile vote of conscience in a short time by MPs, as a bill to legalize assisted dying is likely to clear the Commons by mid-June. It will also push the issue back on the news agenda at a time when social conservatives in the U.S. are tightening abortion restrictions and watching British policy closely. Vice-President J.D. Vance accused politicians of a “backslide away from conscience rights” in February over buffer zones, which restrict harassment and protests outside abortion clinics, after a man was prosecuted for praying and then refusing to move on. An 1861 law makes it a crime in England and Wales for a woman to “procure her own miscarriage.” However, parliament passed a 1967 act allowing abortion up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, if a number of conditions are met and two doctors provide a sign-off. Campaigners for abortion rights believe this situation is out of date, especially after sections of the 1861 law were repealed in Northern Ireland in 2019. ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ Tonia Antoniazzi, one of the two Labour MPs drafting an amendment on decriminalization, told POLITICO: “Vulnerable women are being investigated and prosecuted under this cruel and outdated law, and I believe this must change as a matter of urgency. I’m working towards change in this area and would welcome any opportunity to work with colleagues from all sides of the House [of Commons] on the reform we desperately need.” Stella Creasy, the other MP drafting an amendment, told POLITICO the situation in Northern Ireland had created “unfinished business … and left my own constituents without the same protection of their basic human right to access a safe, legal and local abortion.” The two MPs each plan to propose a different cross-party amendment to the Labour government’s Crime and Policing Bill when it returns for its report stage in the Commons. This is expected before the summer recess, said the two people with knowledge of the plans — not the MPs quoted above — who were not authorized to speak publicly. The Labour government would not back the proposals and MPs would almost certainly be given a free vote, they added. The Commons speaker would only decide much closer to the time whether the amendments are selected for a vote. However, cross-party amendments with wide support are more likely to be selected. TWO DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS Creasy and fellow Labour MP Diana Johnson proposed separate amendments on this topic last year after they each took different approaches to decriminalization. The amendments were never debated, because the bill they were attached to fell away when the Tory government called the general election. Johnson has since become a Home Office minister, so Antoniazzi is expected to put forward an amendment similar to the one she brought forward last year. Johnson’s amendment was worded simply, disapplying the criminal law on abortion against a woman ending her own pregnancy. Johnson said at the time that it retained the need for a time limit and two doctors’ sign-off. Creasy’s amendment is likely to be longer and more detailed. It would have different wording to the one Creasy brought forward last year, and would likely repeal aspects of the criminal abortion law entirely, prevent retrospective criminal investigations, and include a so-called “lock” that would make it harder for future governments to tighten restrictions on abortion. Creasy said she believed extra provisions were needed “in the light of growing evidence of anti-abortion activism around the country.” She added: “Crucially, it explicitly protects time limits as well as protecting the right of women to access an abortion from any future government using secondary legislation to take it away. Two backbench Labour MPs are drawing up separate proposals to change the law which would be brought before MPs in the coming months. | Neil Hall/EPA-EFE “It would be, for the first time, writing into law that the secretary of state had to protect the human right of a woman in England and Wales to access an abortion.” CHANGING PARLIAMENT The make-up of parliament has changed dramatically since the issue was last in headlines. Last year’s bill would have also seen MPs debate tighter restrictions, including a proposal to cut the upper limit for most abortions from 24 to 22 weeks. But that amendment’s proposer Caroline Ansell lost her seat in the 2024 election, along many other socially conservative MPs — replaced by a wave of Labour MPs who in many cases are younger and more socially liberal. Tory MP Neil O’Brien, a critic of last year’s decriminalization effort, told POLITICO that removing offenses that prevent women from self-administering abortions “could drive more women to attempt late-term, at-home abortions well beyond our 24-week abortion time limit, needlessly putting their lives in danger.” He said ministers should instead “urgently reinstate face-to-face medical appointments before abortion pills are prescribed, to determine the gestation of the pregnancy and ensure that women seeking abortion are not being coerced into getting an abortion.” Last year’s election also ushered Reform UK leader Nigel Farage into parliament. The right-wing populist, who has predicted he will become prime minister in 2029, said in November: “Is 24 weeks right for abortion given that we now save babies at 22? … That to me would be worthy of a debate in parliament but should that be along party lines? I don’t think so.”

LONDON — It was always going to be highly charged — but Britain’s debate over assisted dying is starting to get ugly. In a historic move last November, the House of Commons endorsed the second reading of a bill which aims to give terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live help to die. The legislation, introduced by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed by 330 votes to 275, clearing a major parliamentary hurdle. To some observers, that debate brought out the best of the U.K. parliament, with five hours of nuanced, moving speeches. Sarah Olney, a Lib Dem MP who opposes the bill, said the absence of party whips — with lawmakers voting on conscience — forced politicians to use their judgment. “Normally our thoughts and our words and our votes are shaped by what our parties [want],” she reflected. But, four months on, Leadbeater’s bill is facing intense scrutiny — and angry briefings are flying as the opposing sides dig into the fraught specifics. MPs vote again next month on legislation that will either deliver a truly transformative social change — or founder like previous efforts. ‘UNPLEASANT’ Since November’s vote, 23 MPs from across Westminster’s parties spent their Tuesdays and Wednesdays in a dusty room on the parliamentary estate painstakingly examining the bill clause-by-clause. The membership was weighted in favor of supporters by 14 to 9 to reflect the result at second reading. Thirteen of the scrutiny committee’s members were only elected to parliament for the first time last July — so it’s been a steep learning curve.  “I expected it to be a large commitment,” said Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon, a supporter of the bill. “It is probably even bigger than I thought it would be. And I thought it would be pretty momentous.”  The committee wrapped up its scrutiny after midnight on Wednesday. Such late-night sittings have themselves been controversial. Labour MP and bill critic Naz Shah had to leave one session early because her hearing aids needed recharging after 15 hours, in turn setting off a row about the treatment of MPs with impairments. Numerous committee members told POLITICO the atmosphere in the room had been largely collegiate and respectful. But tensions have risen to the surface, both in the sessions and in the hothouse of social media.  “It’s really very unpleasant and, as far as I’m concerned, completely unnecessary,” said Olney of online interventions by members of the public and campaign groups. She claimed both sides of the debate had been “misrepresenting some of what’s happening” — and “making life harder for MPs.” That was echoed by supporters, who felt the nuances of the assisted dying debate were rarely being reflected online. Bill-backer and Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts accused some groups of “trying to be heavy-handed and influence parliamentarians through fear. That is utterly unacceptable.”  Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney, who opposes the bill, said online interventions were “very unpleasant” and “completely unnecessary.” | Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Leading Conservative critic of the legislation Danny Kruger welcomed online coverage of the committee process as “concerns start to rise” — but warned against “extremely unpleasant and unnecessary abuse.”  ‘FINE LINE’ Hundreds of amendments have been proposed to the bill in the name of strengthening its safeguards and preventing abuse. However, supporters of the assisted dying push have questioned whether skeptics have been simply trying to bog the legislation down in technicalities. “Some of the amendments are from people who do not want to see the bill moving ahead, and that’s part of their function,” claimed Saville-Roberts. “If we try and put in too many safeguards, which sounds like a sensible idea, actually, you make the whole thing unworkable,” said Labour MP Simon Opher, a support of the legislation. “There’s a really fine line between making it as safe as possible but also making it functional.”  Gordon concurred: “The purpose of a bill committee is to ensure it’s the most strong and robust legislation — not to try and kill the bill by the back door.” On the other hand, opponents of the legislation charge that their concerns are not being meaningfully dealt with. “The very strong practical objections that many of us are making … are not being addressed,” said Kruger. As the sole Liberal Democrat committee member who voted against the bill, Olney said she had felt an “obligation” to raise concerns at committee stage, proposing amendments to ensure “arguments are put on the record.”  In turn, the bill’s backers strongly reject the idea they were instinctively against any amendments coming from opponents. They cite approval of Labour MP Jess Asato’s amendment requiring medical practitioners involved in the process to undergo training to spot for signs of domestic abuse. FLASHPOINTS One major flashpoint in committee stage has been the shift by Leadbeater over the legal sign-off of assisted dying. Her bill had initially required a High Court judge to approve assisted dying applications. But, in a major change, in part fueled by concern about the impact on England’s already bogged-down courts, this work would now be done by a multidisciplinary, three-person panel — made up of a legal figure, a social worker and a psychiatrist. Supporters argue that a social worker would be able to address concerns about someone being coerced into dying, while a psychiatrist would assess a person’s capacity to make the decision — without needing to drag in one of the country’s most senior legal officials. One major flashpoint in committee stage has been the shift by Leadbeater over the legal sign-off of assisted dying. | Benjamin Cremel/Getty Images “I don’t see how any rational person can say that having an expert scrutiny and authorization panel supervised by a High Court judge or equivalent is less strong than a single High Court judge sitting alone,” said Tory backer Kit Malthouse. But 26 Labour MPs opposed to the bill said the committee stage change only reinforced their opposition. “It begs the question: Had this all been thought through and was it implementable?” asked Anna Dixon, a Labour MP not on the committee who has followed the legislation closely.  “The bill has become substantially less safe in the course of the committee,” argued Kruger. “I’m afraid our fears have been exceeded.” FINAL VERDICT The bill returns to the Commons for report stage next month, allowing MPs to propose amendments before the last substantial debate. Only 28 MPs are required to switch sides to halt the bill. So far, Reform UK’s Lee Anderson and suspended Reform MP Rupert Lowe have publicly changed their minds, and there’s concern more could follow suit after the tension of committee stage. “All MPs realize that we’re dealing with a very profound and sad issue,” said Malthouse. “I do think MPs will grasp the occasion.” Even if the bill passes, there have been fresh questions this week about its implementation.  In the past few days, Leadbeater put forward an amendment which could delay the rollout of the plan until 2029, two years later than originally planned. She insisted the delay meant the necessary time would be taken to implement the safeguards, stressing that setting up multidisciplinary panels will take longer than referring cases to the existing High Court. Opher said he was “disappointed” about the change — but felt the bill was more likely to pass because of it and so backed the amendment. But that timetable would bump up against the next U.K. election, leading even some of the bill’s backers to fear an ugly campaign fought on retaining or repealing the legislation. “Delaying implementation risks pushing it beyond the next election, where it could be abandoned altogether,” warned Gordon, the sole member of the committee to oppose Leadbeater’s change.  There’s some frustration too at the way the debate has been handled by the government, which has facilitated the process while staying officially neutral. One Labour MP opposed to the bill, granted anonymity to speak freely, said “errors” included Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally promising leading assisted dying campaigner Esther Rantzen that there would be a vote, claiming this skewed Labour parliamentarians. “If you are going to be leading the country, then it’s really important that on a free vote or conscience issue, you as the prime minister can separate yourself to some degree from the issue at hand,” they said. “There’s a tendency with some of the MPs … to treat it as a party political exercise and go at it as if the opposing side are opposition to the government,” said Olney. Looking ahead to report stage, she said: “The rubber will start to hit the road.” Dan Bloom contributed to this report.

LONDON — Government minister Lucy Powell has spoken out after a member of parliament was forced to leave a crucial late-night debate because the batteries in her hearing aids were running out. Labour MP Naz Shah, who sits on a committee that is scrutinizing the assisted dying bill currently before the U.K. parliament, expressed frustration that lengthy sessions meant she could not recharge her hearing aids. “Hearing isn’t a choice for me,” Shah posted on social media Tuesday night after having to leave the chamber. “I’ve raised this issue repeatedly with members of the committee and it’s sad that I’m unable to continue today.” Powell, the leader of the House of Commons, told POLITICO that “we cannot have” a situation where MPs who wear hearing aids or who are prevented from sitting for long hours for other reasons are excluded from proceedings. Powell, who is launching a new inquiry into how to make the parliament more accessible, confirmed the study would examine the challenges posed by long sittings in the Commons. “Sitting for lengthy debates or long bill committees has been one of the big things raised with us already by MPs who have disabilities or impairments,” she said. A spokesperson for Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who is in charge of the assisted dying bill, said the committee needs to sit late to get the bill done and free up its members for other commitments. INACCESSIBLE ESTATE PROBED The accessibility inquiry launched Thursday will be carried out by the modernization committee. That’s a new cross-party group set up shortly after Labour took office last year to review the working practices of the often-antiquated House of Commons.  Much of the parliamentary estate is inaccessible for wheelchairs or for those with limited mobility. Disabled staff and MPs have in the past complained of a shortage of accessible toilets and the lack of flexibility in the Commons chamber, where MPs often have to sit without moving for hours at a time. A spokesperson for Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said the committee needs to sit late to get the bill done and free up its members for other commitments. | Carl Court/Getty Images The committee will call for views on making the parliamentary estate more accessible to disabled people and making daily business easier to understand. It will cover physical improvements that could be made to the Palace of Westminster separately from a wider restoration project, which is currently in limbo ahead of a vote later this year. Powell identified a host of changes that could be made sooner, such as redesigning heavy doors and making reasonable adjustments to MPs’ offices or the location of their offices. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING The committee is also expected to focus on areas where there is a gap between the technical language used in the chamber and the public’s understanding.  Powell highlighted the example of “private members’ bills,” which some have argued should be renamed “backbench” or “non-government” bills to avoid confusion. She said the committee wants to address “accessibility for the public” where the “names given to things … are not easily understandable for what they actually are.” The inquiry is not expected to address etiquette in the chamber, which forbids MPs from using “you” to address others — and bans accusations of lying or hypocrisy. But it may consider dropping the use of “chairman” in favor of the gender-neutral “chair.”  The Commons leader admitted that while many of these issues had been a source of concern at Westminster for years, the influx of new MPs at last year’s election had helped create an appetite for change. Powell said: “We’ve heard from new MPs in particular and new members of staff, who have just found some things that we [do] aren’t really acceptable in the modern age, and so if that’s not the job of a modernization committee, then what is?”

LONDON — T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month. For Keir Starmer, June will be the most grueling. The U.K. prime minister will reckon with an avalanche of reviews — on spending, defense, China, welfare, immigration, industry, trade and more — that start to turn nebulous policy into something more concrete for his nascent Labour government. Put simply: sh*t is getting real. For some of Starmer’s own MPs, more firm direction will be a relief. His first few months in office were rocked by ethics and staffing rows, riots, and falling poll ratings. The return of Donald Trump complicated matters further. Change might be on the way. Ask any department how a major project is going, and the chances are you’ll be told it’s due in “spring.” Whitehall officials often buy time by using astronomical spring (which ends on June 21), not meteorological spring (May 31). And that means a glut of announcements is likely to be bunched up around June — if, of course, they aren’t delayed again. Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney is antsy — and has lately been looking for ways to paint Labour as “insurgents.” McSweeney recently briefed Labour MPs that there are three things on his mind: defense spending, a center-left vision for AI and tech, and radically reforming the state, one person familiar with the conversation told POLITICO.  Starmer is meanwhile setting his sights on rewiring Britain’s institutions. Reforms of planning rules to spur more building were spelt out this week; the welfare system next week. Starmer will say Thursday that the state has become bigger but weaker thanks to a “cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery.” Both men know the clock is ticking down to the next election in 2029.  One business lobbyist, who like other people spoken to for this article was granted anonymity to speak frankly, said: “In order to have its impact at the end of the parliamentary term, this is when the rubber has to hit the road. ” A union official was more blunt: “People don’t know what the government is trying to achieve. They don’t have a story to tell.” POLITICO takes stock of the biggest things coming up that could define Starmer’s government. SPENDING REVIEW The defining moment will be Rachel Reeves’ review of three years of future government spending, expected around June. The chancellor will preview her thinking in her spring statement on March 26, revealing crucial economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility watchdog (OBR). After years of chopping and changing under the Conservatives, Reeves once insisted this would not be a “major” fiscal event — yet it’s now widely expected to pave the way for Whitehall spending cuts as the OBR restricts her economic headroom under her self-imposed fiscal rules. A 10-year plan for the NHS is also expected in spring, but protecting health service funding could lead to more cuts elsewhere. The key question will be whether Reeves’ “envelope” for public service spending rises holds steady at 1.3 percent per year, according to Paul Johnson. The director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a nonpartisan think tank, said the spending review will be a “huge moment” with “pretty big rows” if the envelope is reduced further, even if “all of history suggests that those numbers will get topped up later on.” The wider question is how and when Britain’s anaemic growth will pick up. For this, Reeves is relying on many reforms that either sit outside her budget or are not “scored” by the OBR.  Johnson said: “My sense is that they’re beginning to understand the scale of the task, how difficult some of the trade-offs are going to be, how difficult it is to change some of the planning things and so on … It’s been clear for some time that they weren’t desperately well prepared at the moment that they came into office, and to some extent, the first period has been a very fast learning curve.” INDUSTRY AND TRADE The government’s industrial strategy, trade strategy and small business strategy are all due roughly around June, one person familiar with the plans told POLITICO. Businesses will be invited into the Department of Business and Trade in the coming weeks for a deep-dive to draw up the small business plans, an industry figure said. An update sent to consultees on the industrial strategy Wednesday said “detailed policy design” is now under way on regulation, skills and access to talent, along with the role of public finance institutions. Publication — delayed from earlier in the year — will be aligned with the spending review. It is focused on eight “growth-driving” sectors including defense, financial services and advanced manufacturing over the next decade. A “Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy” is also due in spring. But looming over all these plans are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports to the U.S., including steel and aluminum — which took effect Wednesday despite last-ditch attempts from Britain to secure a carve-out. The U.K. is still in talks to try to avoid broader U.S. tariffs from April 2. Trump has said a deal offered by Britain on tech and AI could avoid tariffs, but this is only expected later in the year, and he has not spelt out how. DEFENSE REVIEW The government’s strategic defense review is due to report back in the first half of 2025. One U.K. official said it remains on track despite Trump upending much of the global order with his push for a peace deal in Ukraine. Led by former NATO Secretary General George Robertson, it is looking at military capabilities, threats and “modernizing” the armed forces. An “integrated review” was published only in 2021 but had to be “refreshed” in 2023 as the world order changed. The official quoted above said that most of the work on identifying threats was complete by late February, when Starmer announced a path to spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defense by 2027. Robertson’s team has been in the Ministry of Defence in recent weeks, and Starmer’s announcement will help it nail down the rest of the review. The review could also include some findings from a separate look at the AUKUS submarine-building pact between the U.K., U.S. and Australia, by former National Security Adviser Stephen Lovegrove. It was delivered late to ministers in December and officials believe much of it will be kept confidential. CHINA A delayed “China audit” of London-Beijing relations across government is due in the spring too. But officials say the Treasury and Foreign Office have been at loggerheads over its focus, which has broadened from defense and security to the search for economic growth. Downing Street aides insist the tension between these two goals can be held in balance. But it will be tested hard when Starmer visits China, a trip that is being planned for later this year. Meanwhile officials say the audit is still being drafted. This tension is highlighted by the continuing silence on whether the Chinese state will be included on the enhanced tier of Britain’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, a lobbying rules shakeup which will require people in the U.K. to register work they do for foreign entities. The Sun newspaper reported earlier this month that China will not be in the enhanced tier. Two U.K. officials told POLITICO it was likely that, while individual Chinese companies or individuals could end up in the enhanced tier, the Chinese state as a whole would not be. U.K. and U.S. officials also expect a deal to hand British sovereignty of the Chagos Islands — a militarily strategic archipelago in the Indian Ocean — to Mauritius will be agreed soon. But a treaty could take up to a year to pass through the U.K. parliament. Expect heated rows over how much Britain will pay to lease back the joint U.S.-U.K. Diego Garcia air base for 99 years. WELFARE BENEFITS Reeves and Starmer plan to cut Britain’s ballooning benefits bill, particularly for sick and disabled people. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to publish a green paper early next week. A person with knowledge of the plan said it will likely start a consultation on changing the “work capability assessment” (WCA) for sick and disabled people, which could take effect as soon as September, and announce other measures more quickly. Freezing the disability benefit Personal Independence Payment is one option on the table, as is tightening up “conditionality” for people who fail to meet conditions for claiming other benefits. While Labour MPs mostly back reforming benefits, many baulk at slashing support for disabled people, and privately believe the plans are driven by Treasury cost-cutting. Plans for Kendall to unveil the cuts in a Commons statement this week were delayed and No. 10 officials instead engaged with worried MPs. But one official said the overall figure of £5 billion to £6 billion a year in welfare savings is unlikely to change. They added WCA reform would likely only be “scored” in the summer spending review, while other measures such as a PIP freeze could be scored in the spring statement. TWO-CHILD LIMIT The government’s child poverty taskforce, led by ministers, is expected to produce an “action plan” around June — and has revived internal Labour pressure on Reeves to scrap or modify the two-child limit on benefits, brought in by the Conservatives but kept by Labour. This will give a sharp focus to the welfare reform debate. One Labour MP said Treasury and DWP officials are “talking at cross purposes,” adding: “I think the Treasury is invested in the cuts and DWP is invested in getting back to work. For f*ck’s sake, they briefed against Liz Kendall in the papers … because she was saying this is about getting people back to work, and they were saying no, this is about cutting the benefits bill. Those things are similar but they are not the same.” One union official described the coming economic statements as “for the financial markets, not the public” and warned that Reeves’ cuts and gloom — after limiting winter fuel payments for the elderly — could cast her in the same light as former Conservative PM Margaret Thatcher, who was dubbed “milk snatcher.” IMMIGRATION AND EU The Home Office is due to publish an immigration white paper in spring, adding meat to Starmer’s promise to cut legal net migration into the U.K. Visas, fees, and rules for international students and their dependents are all in scope. This will see the reality of skills shortages butt up against the Home Office’s political desire to see numbers fall. Labour officials have always said they are focused on improving skills and training — and migration crackdowns inherited from the previous Tory government mean numbers are already likely to fall. But the public will expect to see results fast. Aides will also be braced for press coverage of the usual summer rise in small boat crossings of the English Channel. What will happen to the EU’s repeated calls for a “youth mobility” scheme — allowing young people to live and work for a set time period in the U.K. — remains a mystery. Starmer has promised to “reset” the U.K.-EU relationship and has not ruled out a youth mobility scheme, but refuses to be drawn on any details. Youth mobility has been raised by the EU repeatedly in private talks with the U.K. for months, a person with knowledge of them confirmed. EU officials including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will kickstart the high-level conversation at a U.K.-EU summit on May 19. Meanwhile other thorny post-Brexit talks are still going. The “Windsor Framework,” governing goods movements between Northern Ireland and Britain, is due to take force fully on March 31. And officials expect long-stuck talks over the status of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, to resume soon between the U.K., Gibraltar, Spain and the EU. CRIME AND JUSTICE Also due in “spring” — a.k.a. before June 21 — is the final report of a review of sentencing policy by former Tory Justice Secretary David Gauke. His interim findings said political bids by successive governments to sound “tough on crime” had brought the justice system to the brink of collapse. It will be a balancing act for a government that wants to sound tough while also putting reformers round its table. The Home Office is preparing a white paper on policing reforms, which will take forensics labs and IT capabilities out of individual regions and pool them centrally to “drive efficiency,” but it is now expected in the summer rather than the spring. And a so-called “Hillsborough Law” — named for the 1989 football stadium crush that killed 97 people — imposing a legal duty of candor on public bodies is expected to be introduced before April 15, the anniversary of the disaster. One government official suggested it may reduce the need for statutory inquiries into future disasters because it will be easier to compel public bodies to cooperate with investigations. LOCAL ELECTIONS Elections will be held on May 1 for 24 of England’s 317 councils; a tally that would have been bigger if not for delays caused by a reorganization of local government. It will be Starmer’s first test as prime minister after falling poll ratings, but these seats were last elected in 2021, a low point for Labour. Pundits may look more closely at the performance of Nigel Farage’s upstart party Reform UK. Tory and Labour strategists will already have an eye on the election for a mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. Defector Andrea Jenkyns, a former Tory MP, is running for Reform on an anti-net-zero ticket and one Conservative MP predicted she could win. Westminster will also watch a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, where Labour MP Mike Amesbury is resigning after he was handed a suspended prison sentence for punching a constituent. The by-election can be held on April 17 at the earliest, but may coincide with May 1, and Reform’s performance will be watched closely. A second Labour MP said that while colleagues are fiercely loyal now, “the sh*t could hit the fan after the local elections” and “people will start to panic” if Reform and the left-wing Green Party make gains at the expense of Labour. They said some Labour MPs are already keeping a close eye on seat-by-seat “MRP” polls that predict they will be gone in 2029. ASSISTED DYING Backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s bill to legalize assisted dying has become a point of furious debate as it trudges through the slow process of becoming law. While not officially supported by the government, Starmer has voted in favor of the principle. Supporters expect the committee stage to be complete by parliament’s easter recess, meaning a final vote of MPs before the bill goes to the House of Lords would happen some time in May or June. The general expectation is that MPs will vote on the bill again on one of the Commons’ first few sitting Fridays after Easter recess — April 25, May 16 and June 13 and 20. It would take at least two sitting Fridays before it can be dispatched to the Lords, where it will face more grinding debate. The question will be whether the “magic number” of 28 MPs switch sides from pro to anti, blocking the bill before it can clear the Commons. AND THE REST …  Many thorny problems will remain unresolved long after June. There is still no agreed plan for the restoration of the crumbling Palace of Westminster, the seat of the U.K. parliament. MPs are due to have fresh options and indicative budgets put to them later this year, but few see Reeves approving billions of pounds of spending. Eyes within the government are already turning to Starmer’s next king’s speech, the moment when another year’s worth of policy will be announced. Aides typically refuse to say when it will be held, but July or early autumn would not be unexpected. And there are whispers — naturally unconfirmed — about whether the PM will carry out a ministerial reshuffle later this spring or summer. Those on Labour’s “soft left” worry about the future of their few remaining advocates, including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. No. 10 refused to comment on reshuffle rumors. Perhaps Starmer would be wise to hold back — if nothing else, for the sake of party unity. “Once it’s done, people who have been loyal will know whether they’re getting promoted,” said a third MP. “If I were them I’d delay the reshuffle forever.”

LONDON — Keir Starmer had a rocky first six months in office — and the road looks set to only get bumpier. The British prime minister, who took Labour back into power last summer after years in the wilderness, will be hoping a New Year reset can help stabilize his administration, which is currently sinking in the polls and struggling to cut through with voters. But there are numerous trip wires lying ahead, threatening to make 2025 difficult. With members of parliament returning to parliament this week, let POLITICO walk you through the dangers lurking ahead. 1. DON ROAMING One man will tower over pretty much all Starmer’s moves like a heavily branded skyscraper: Donald Trump. The prime minister will hope to get a visit to the White House in quickly to hold talks with the incoming United States president on a mammoth list of asks. He’ll want to try and limit any tariff pain Trump plans to inflict on allies, and to shore up Ukraine’s position against Russia despite deep skepticism about the war in the incoming U.S. team. Starmer will also hope to limit the chances of fresh meltdown in the Middle East. There’s U.S. support for NATO to be ensured, too — not to mention trying to cool a seemingly nonstop feud with Trump pick Elon Musk. On Sunday, the X owner called him a “national embarrassment.” 2. IT’S THE STUPID ECONOMY Starmer has staked much of his premiership on growing the United Kingdom’s economy, but many of his government’s tough decisions on tax and spending have so far run counter to that. Official forecasts on March 26 will give an indication of just how bleak the economic picture is. Gross domestic product figures on May 15 mark the earliest date Westminster-watchers will find out whether the economy has really taken a turn for the worse and entered recession. The pending review in June will set out what constraints are being imposed on squeezed government departments for the coming years. 3. CASE FOR THE DEFENSE Starmer promised ahead of his 2024 election win to raise the British defense bill to 2.5 percent of GDP. But he never put a timeline or other specifics on the pledge. In November he suggested that timeline will finally come in the spring — no doubt to coincide with the results of a “root-and-branch review” of British defense capabilities. With the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (not to mention Trump) holding his feet to the fire on defense spending, a lackluster timeline could swiftly spark a domestic and international row.  4. DEAD SERIOUS After MPs voted to pave the way for legalizing assisted dying in the U.K., the nitty-gritty of detailed scrutiny awaits — as well as the thorny question of what role the government will play if the plan is eventually approved. While Starmer voted in favor of the move, he refused to get involved in the public debate. It may not be possible for him to avoid getting drawn in altogether, however. The government is expected to produce an impact assessment to inform discussion of the bill, while a clearer outline of the role of medics and judges in delivering the policy will put further strain on a Cabinet already split over the issue.  After MPs voted to pave the way for legalizing assisted dying in the U.K., the nitty-gritty of detailed scrutiny awaits — as well as the thorny question of what role the government will play if the plan is eventually approved. | Leon Neal/Getty Images 5. ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL Hundreds of seats on local councils across England will be up for grabs at the start of May. The last time these were fought was in 2021, at a high-water mark for the Tories under Boris Johnson and perhaps the nadir for Starmer’s Labour in opposition. So, as unpopular as Starmer’s government is right now, these could end up being a bad set of results for the Conservatives — and soon morph more into a story about Farage riding a populist wave. Watch for any donations or backing the insurgent Brexiteer manages to secure from Musk ahead of the vote — and any actions Starmer takes to limit the scope of foreign donations to British parties. A tricky parliamentary by-election could be looming in Runcorn and Helsby, where Reform came second at the election and the sitting Labour MP was charged with assault.  6. MAUR PROBLEMS Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy are banking on Trump backing their controversial deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The president-elect’s allies have vented their fury about the deal, which Labour argues is necessary to protect the joint U.S.-U.K. military base on Diego Garcia while respecting the rights of Chagos Islanders who were forcibly removed to make way for it. Critics on the right have cried surrender, but the British government hopes that once Trump’s in office, and sees the evidence from the Pentagon and the State Department about the deal, he’ll be on board. Britain had hoped to get the treaty ratified quickly but Mauritius’ new prime minister looks to be stalling in an attempt for even more favorable terms. 7. BREXIT NEVER DIES The right-wing newspapers, Conservatives and Reform are all sharpening their knives to seize on any whiff of a “Brexit betrayal,” while Johnson is already sniping from the sidelines. Starmer’s spent a lot of his first six months in office on his much-touted “reset” in relations with Europe. But he’d be mistaken if he thinks Brussels won’t use the negotiations to push for wins that’ll be hard for Starmer to sell with Euroskeptics back home.  8. CHINA IS FRAGILE Labour is attempting to soften the U.K. approach to China in comparison to the previous Conservative government, which took an ever-more hawkish stance toward the Asian giant. The new administration launched a China “audit” but appears to have decided on its approach regardless, with numerous ministerial visits to Beijing planned, including a possible trip for Starmer himself. Talk is about “pragmatic” relations and doing business where possible. But whether the Trump administration allows its “special relationship” partner to have its cake and eat it over China is another matter. The drip drip of stories about Chinese influence operations in the U.K. won’t help.  9. ‘STOP THE BOATS’ HEADLINES One of the biggest springboards for Farage and Reform has been the issue of small boats filled with irregular migrants crossing the English Channel. Starmer canceled the big-ticket Rwanda deportation scheme the Conservatives never managed to get off the ground as one of his first acts after taking power. But his own effort to “smash the gangs” profiting from people-smuggling is still to bear fruit, with hundreds of migrants arriving on British shores between Christmas and New Year alone. Numbers that fail to drop could be one of the biggest political risks for Starmer in 2025.  10. UKRAINE WAR ENDGAME? Britain has been one of Ukraine’s biggest backers ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 — but the military aid it supplies still pales in comparison to what the U.S. provides. Trump pushing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to settle things quickly will usher in a perilous time for the U.K. Could there be a role for British troops in ensuring Ukraine’s security, and what will an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin do next? Britain has been one of Ukraine’s biggest backers ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. | Janos Kummer/Getty Images 11. AND … A WHOLE HEAP OF OTHER DOMESTIC ROWS A fight over new inheritance tax rules for farmers will reach its zenith when the changes come into force in April, assuming the government holds its nerve until then. There are also the six “milestones” the prime minister has set himself before the next election, covering issues such as health services waiting lists and house-building. If 2025 suggests little progress en route to those targets, Starmer will face pressure over whether his government can even do the basics. Buckle up for a bumpy ride.