Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his New Year message to promise that Britain is turning a corner, saying the country will begin to feel tangible improvements in daily life during 2026 after years of strain.
Speaking as his government enters a challenging second year in office, Starmer said his goal was to “defeat the decline and division offered by others” and restore a sense of confidence after what he called a long period of difficulty for many households.
The prime minister acknowledged public frustration with the speed of progress, noting that economic and social pressures did not emerge overnight. He said renewal would take time but insisted the direction of travel was now clear.
“Things have been tough in Britain for a while,” Starmer said, adding that the challenges facing the country “were decades in the making, and renewal is not an overnight job.”
Looking ahead, he said the coming year would bring changes people could feel directly, pointing to measures such as frozen rail fares, prescription charges and fuel duty, alongside a higher minimum wage. He also highlighted plans for more police on the streets and the rollout of new community health hubs.
“In 2026, the choices we’ve made will mean more people will begin to feel positive change in your bills, your communities and your health service,” he said. Starmer added that beyond financial relief, he wanted to restore “a sense of hope” that living standards and public services can improve.
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The message comes after a difficult political year for the Labour leader, marked by slowing economic growth, weak poll numbers and growing speculation about internal party pressure.
In response, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch struck a sharply critical tone in her own New Year statement. She said the past year had delivered “no growth, higher taxes and record unemployment,” but argued the country’s trajectory was not fixed.
Britain, she said, was “not destined for decline,” outlining her party’s aim to back business and repair the economy to support funding for the armed forces, police, schools and the National Health Service.
Meanwhile, smaller parties used the start of the year to frame the political stakes ahead of May’s local elections, which include contests for councils across England as well as seats in the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his party could “win again in 2026” following what he described as record breaking gains in the last local elections. He pledged to “stop Trump’s America becoming Farage’s Britain” and said the Liberal Democrats were ready to offer an alternative path for the country.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose party has led national opinion polls since last spring according to recent surveys cited by the BBC and Reuters, described the upcoming local contests as “the single most important set of elections between now and the next general election.”
Farage said the country was becoming “gloomier” and “poorer,” blaming rising unemployment and debt levels. He also criticized both Labour and the Conservatives for failing to grasp what he called the “new world” of cryptocurrencies, digital assets and emerging technologies, which he said were central to future growth.
In Scotland, First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney offered a more reflective message, saying the past year had been difficult for many amid global conflict and instability.
Alongside those challenges, Swinney pointed to moments of national pride, saying he would be “toasting Scotland’s famous win against Denmark” to qualify for the World Cup and looking ahead to both the tournament and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later in the year.
