Labour Milestones Review: Law and order
Back in May last year, Keir Starmer and members of the then Shadow Cabinet launched the Labour Party’s ‘Steps for Change’, outlining actions their government would take towards achieving Starmer’s five missions. One of these steps was to ‘crack down on antisocial behaviour’, by having more police presence on our streets and introducing tougher new penalties for offenders. Then Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, noted that 90% of crime was essentially going unsolved under the Conservatives and pointed out that community confidence in policing was plummeting. In saying this, Cooper framed Labour not only as a party of law and order, but also as one capable of restoring trust. By promising visible action on antisocial behaviour, Labour sought to connect policing policy with broader public concerns about safety and social cohesion.
Less than a month after attaining office, riots broke out across the country following the Southport stabbings. The events served as an early stress test of the Government’s capacity to deliver on its law and order commitments. While the unrest highlighted the case for stronger police powers, it equally demonstrated that enforcement alone cannot address the root causes of disorder without parallel investment in community trust-building.
In October, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made a statement following the acquittal of Sergeant Martyn Blake in the Chris Kaba case, setting out measures to improve accountability, standards, and public confidence in policing. She stressed the need to respect the jury’s verdict while recognising reduced public trust (particularly among Black communities) and long-standing problems in the police accountability system. These comments signalled an attempt to defuse tensions while maintaining political credibility with both police and minority communities.
Two major reports followed in late 2024 and early 2025 that painted a complex picture of public trust in policing. A YFF survey found that while Black teenagers were the most likely to say their local police do a good job, they and their mixed ethnicity peers were far less likely than White children to believe officers treat everyone fairly or use force only when necessary. In contrast, a Policy Exchange study suggested that ethnic minorities overall reported significantly higher levels of confidence and satisfaction in the police than White respondents. Taken together, these findings suggest that general perceptions of police effectiveness can coexist with deep concerns about fairness, particularly in day-to-day interactions.
In order to present the Labour Government as a guarantor of religious freedom and public order, the Government announced in March that they would be introducing new powers to protect places of worship from disruptive protests, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill. These measures aimed to help police manage protests near synagogues, mosques, churches, and other religious sites by setting clear conditions on protest routes and timings to prevent intimidation. Then in May, the Government also introduced new rules to ensure that police officers found guilty of gross misconduct are automatically dismissed (barring exceptional circumstances).
In terms of funding, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in last year’s Autumn Budget new measures changing employer national insurance contributions (NICs). In response, the Conservatives accused the Treasury of not conducting an impact assessment or consulting police forces on the changes prior to the announcement. Despite this, the Government announced in August that police officers across England and Wales would receive a 4.2% above-inflation pay rise, covering all ranks up to chief superintendent. It was also confirmed later that month that, for the financial year ending 31 March 2026, funding for policing in England and Wales would be up to £19.9bn.
This all comes as we still await the Government’s White Paper on police reform, which is due to be published at some point this year, focusing on governance, efficiency, and resource allocation. In the autumn, the Public Accounts Committee will also begin its inquiry on police productivity, questioning Home Office officials on financial constraints and how the department ensures police forces will deliver value for money going forward. The timing of the White Paper and the PAC inquiry could prove politically sensitive, as both will likely set the terms for future debates on whether the Government’s early interventions in policing have delivered measurable improvements, or whether its approach remains more rhetorical than results-driven.
For more on how the Labour Government is delivering on its promises, read the Vuelio Political team’s take on housing commitments.