The Labour Manifesto set out two very clear goals or overriding themes. They would bring in a politics driven by a sense of service, not based on party or self interest. They would make sure if you work hard they would respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on.
A few days into the Mandelson crisis, and after living through two lethal tax raising budgets that clobbered many different groups of self employed, employees, and small businesses, the government looks well detached from these guiding principles they set out.
The Manifesto broke down these themes into 6 first steps they would take as a government, so things we could expect in say the first nineteen months.
1. They promised economic stability, keeping taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible. Instead they have helped put inflation up and have put through a series of punitive tax rises.
2.They would cut NHS waiting lists by offering more treatments and appointments. Instead they are trying to get the waiting lists down by taking people off the lists.
3.They would set up a new Border Command to “smash the criminal boat gangs”. Instead they scrapped the new law that illegal migrants cannot claim asylum on entry , and presided over a big increase in illegal arrivals.
4.Set up Great British Energy to cut energy bills. Instead energy bills have been hiked several times and they have signed up to more long term contract renewable power at very high prices.
5.Crack down on anti social behaviour. No evidence of that.
6. Recruit 2500 new teachers
The public certainly heard the promise amidst the election noise that they would smash the gangs, and they have been bitterly disappointed. They heard and wanted to believe the pledge not to increase taxes on working people and are angry at the big tax rises put through hitting employment and cutting take home pay and spending power.
February 9, 2026
I think you might find you are preaching to the converted.
February 9, 2026
Stephen, based on national opinion polls Sir John is preaching to the Country. There are fewer and fewer people who believe this Government is doing a good job – in any area.
February 9, 2026
My Lord,
When a party can’t sort it’s own internal problems out it doesn’t give me much confidence it’ll be able to sort the national problems out.
February 9, 2026
Especially when a lot of those problems are residual ones from when they last had their grubby paws on the levers of power.
February 9, 2026
They do not seek election to sort out the problems or make our lives better. They are there to implement their pet projects and feather the nests of their donors.
It is all about power and who gets to write the cheques.
February 9, 2026
When has any Party kept to its manifesto? The media like to make a big brouhaha about them, but we all know they are empty promises, a theatrical, cynical element of a broken political system.
February 9, 2026
Most of those promises to the people were also made and broken by Sunak and many before him. Can you blame people for not trusting politicians? For a start we need conviction politicians and not career politicians.
Reply Sunak failed to implement his big popular promise to stop the boats so the Conservatives lost half their votes. He did not write a Manifesto as he took over within a Parliament.
February 9, 2026
And we need ‘convicted’ politicians, civil servants, special advisers, Quango heads and so on and so forth.
I believe that not until we see some brought to justice for their part in so many wrongs done here, will people ever truly believe we have people in Parliament who take the bare bones of the job seriously.
People in the general population have been slung in prison for less than some of the things done by some of these people (past and present) while in office.
February 9, 2026
Good morning.
Ah but remember, JR that manifesto promises are not enforceable and are only be considered aspirational. That is to say – they are not worth the paper they are printed on and, if you really think they were going to do that, then you were wrong and were stupid enough to believe them.
That JR is the state of politics today or, as the old Soviets use to say – “You pretend to tell the truth and we will pretend to believe you.”
February 9, 2026
Perhaps the funniest thing was watching Gordon Brown admitting to being duped by Mandelson while lauding the ‘integrity’ of Starmer!
Brown is commend the actions listed in this blog as being absolutely in line with the promises made.
It’s pointless trying to reason with madmen and liars.
We need to defend ourselves directly with all our might, and stop hoping that someone will turn up trumps.
February 9, 2026
Big day tomorrow Sir John.
February 9, 2026
You are being too literal. Few people believed Labour’s promises. They expected this government to be even worse than the previous one, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote Conservative.
February 9, 2026
Promises, promises, always promises.
As I recall the manifesto also presented the word growth as a priority.
If only we had realised, growth can also be associated with negative issues.
Growth in potholes, tick
Growth in street crime, tick
Growth in illegal migration, tick
Growth in physical attacks involving knives, tick
Growth in sleaze involving ministers and senior appointees, tick
Growth in Public Sector pay awards, tick
Growth in ministerial travel abroad, tick
They certainly kept that part of the promise…….
February 9, 2026
They did what Labour always do – promised the earth, just to get into power.
Although things are falling apart, they continue to insist that things will get better.
The public are not fooled. Labour has been a disaster. I cant wait to see the back of them.
February 9, 2026
Nothing Starmer says is a promise. He just says whatever is required on any particular day to further his own interest and the next day he will happily say the exact opposite. It is a lawyer thing, it’s what they do, but he thinks it applies to politics too.
OAM I read that NHS patients who die while waiting for treatment are being counted as reducing the waiting list. It’s one approach I suppose.
February 9, 2026
Here’s a new old revamped name for the next Labour manifesto Jackanory, maybe that’ll have more credibility and reflect the Labour Party