30 May 2025
What have the Romans ever done for us?
That’s what Reg asked the People’s Front of Judea in Monty Python’s legendary film ‘The Life of Brian’. His answer was a long list of achievements that he didn’t want to hear.
“All right,” he replied, “but apart from the sanitation, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”
I’m often reminded of this sketch when I look at social media and see variations of the question: What has the Labour Government ever done for us?
Despite some of the nonsense spouted online, we’re getting on with the job of turning our country around. You won’t hear about our achievements from the modern-day equivalents of Reg who deny reality, but here’s just some of what we’ve done so far:
We’ve ensured that Britain is now the fastest-growing economy in the G7, and interest rates have been cut four times – meaning lower mortgage rates.
We’ve protected the Triple Lock on pensions (which the Conservative Shadow Chancellor called ‘unsustainable’), which will see the state pension for millions rise by £470 this year and by £1,900 in 2029.
We’ve returned nearly 30,000 people with no right to be here. The number of enforced removals we’ve carried out since being elected is 23% higher than the Conservatives managed last year, and we’ve appointed a Border Security Commander to tackle the smuggling gangs responsible for the small boat crossings.
We’ve committed to halving serious violent crime in ten years – a historic pledge that shows how seriously we take your safety.
We’re hiring 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOS.
We’ve launched GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company, to help lower bills, create jobs, and ensure energy security.
We’ve overseen a 145% increase in criminal investigations into rogue water bosses.
We’ve already announced our first 300 school-based nurseries (including one in Shafton), which will cut the cost of childcare for parents. Children in Brierley and Royston are already among the first to benefit from our free breakfast clubs in primary schools, which we’ll roll out nationally in time.
In under a year, we’ve created more new prison places than the Conservatives created in 14 years, and we’ve got a plan to add 14,000 new places by 2031.
We’ve invested over £25 billion in the NHS, reduced waiting lists for six consecutive months, and delivered tens of thousands of extra appointments each week.
That’s not all – far from it. But it’s all I can squeeze into this column!
Yes, we have much, much more to do. I know that. And no, it’s not all been plain sailing. I appreciate that many people felt let down by our decision on the winter fuel payment. We’ve listened, and we’re looking at the threshold again.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we can’t fix all the problems we inherited overnight. But we’re rolling our sleeves up and making good progress already, despite what you might see online.