Keir Starmer's Government Outlines 2024 Plan with Measurable Milestones on Housing, NHS, Living Standards and More
In December 2024, Keir Starmer outlined a government plan for change with measurable milestones focused on house building, NHS waiting times, living standards, and other key areas.
Housing targets include delivering 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England by 2029, measured by net additional dwellings. Currently, the housebuilding rate is around 200,000 a year, below the implied pace of 300,000 per year, with a ramp-up expected later in the Parliament. Progress will be monitored through a housebuilding tracker that uses first Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data. Full-year housing figures are released in November, with quarterly EPC-based updates.
In health, the government pledges that 92% of patients in England will be seen within 18 weeks by the end of the Parliament. As of October 2025, this figure stood at 61.7%, improving from 58.8% when Labour took power in July 2024. The last time the 92% target was achieved was in 2015. Waiting list data are released about six weeks after each month ends, showing slower progress toward the 92% goal.
Regarding living standards, the plan aims to grow real household disposable income per person (RHDI) over the Parliament. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts about 0.5% annual growth, with GDP per head projected to rise about 1% in 2025. RHDI and GDP per head figures are published quarterly, with RHDI about three months after quarter end and GDP per head about six weeks after quarter end.
In crime, the pledges include adding 13,000 police officers, police community support officers (PCSOs), and volunteer constables in neighbourhood policing by the end of the Parliament. As of 31 March 2025, there were 17,175 neighbourhood policing full-time equivalents (FTEs), up 1.3% from 2024. Detailed neighbourhood policing figures are due in January 2026 and every six months thereafter.
Education targets set reaching 75% of five-year-olds with a good level of development. The 2024-25 data show 68.3% in England, an increase from 67.7%. Figures for 2027-28 are expected in November 2028.
Clean power pledges aim for at least 95% clean power by 2030, lowered from the manifesto target of zero-carbon electricity by 2030. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) in 2024 stated that achieving this is possible but at the limit. In 2024, clean power accounted for 73.8% of Great Britain's electricity. Updates will be published with the Energy Trends report.
