Labour’s first yr: looking back, praying forward 

We have just marked the one yr anniversary of the General Election, when Labour swept to power with an enormous majority of 174. 

But this was hardly a repeat of 1997 when Tony Blair entered Downing Street on a wave of hopeful optimism. It was a decisive rejection of the Conservatives quite than a ringing endorsement of Labour. Mostly it was born of a desire for somebody to do higher than the last lot. Voters were sceptical but willing to provide them a likelihood. 

But Keir Starmer’s Premiership got off to a shaky start with an ill-judged decision to chop winter fuel payments for all however the poorest pensioners. A partial u-turn eventually followed, but last week an offended riot on the federal government’s own benches led to a different climbdown over welfare cuts for disabled people. 

Other policies have also caused consternation. Increasing employer national insurance contributions have added extra burdens on pressurised small businesses. Payment incentives to support struggling farmers have been slashed. And whilst net migration has fallen sharply, individuals are still coming of their boatloads across the Channel, fuelling the rhetoric of those claiming that we’re being ‘invaded’ by illegal immigrants. 

There is a general feeling that every thing the state does is broken, or not less than not working because it should. It seems as if every government department is coping with an unmanageable backlog, gaping spending deficits, or declining recruitment figures.

External aspects have also played an element in the federal government’s woes, with Donald Trump’s unpredictability prompting a lift to UK defence spending and diplomatic attempts to fend off high US trade tariffs. The war in Ukraine continues, and the situation within the Middle East is more flamable than it has been for a few years. 

All of this paints a dark picture for Keir Starmer and there’s real disappointment from those that hoped his government would make a fast and positive impact. 

As Christians, how should we be praying for this government, for the opposition parties, and for the overall political and economic outlook? For starters, let’s be slow to rush to judgement.   

Opposition may be frustrating, but it surely is definitely easier than being in government. It’s easy to make expansive guarantees whenever you don’t should implement them. Even easier to be an armchair politician stuffed with outraged opinions and devoid of responsibility. The electorate has a habit of wanting contradictory things, equivalent to lower taxes and higher public services. 

Many problems facing the federal government have deep roots and, let’s be honest, are very expensive to tackle. This is why finding out social care has been repeatedly deferred during the last twenty years. But it does should be tackled. And for that we want sensible, responsible government which makes clear that there are trade-offs, and a politically literate electorate who understands this. 

Unfortunately, big government can turn into unwieldy and incompetent and make big errors. HS2 appears to have wasted billions, as did the Covid PPE scandal. Miscarriages of justice equivalent to the Post Office Horizon debacle or the negligence resulting in the Grenfell Tower disaster all contribute to the distrust and disillusionment from the voters towards those they elect or appoint to run things.

Add to this the private failings of many in leadership positions, and it’s no wonder that folks are looking around for something higher. However, democracy continues to be one of the best form of presidency of any which were tried, and we all know that those in authority over us are put there by God. It is His authority that makes theirs legitimate. 

This signifies that our leaders are accountable to Him for his or her stewardship, whether or not they realise it or not. It also signifies that we’re to respect them and, within the words of 1 Peter 2:13, to “submit (ourselves) for the Lord’s sake to each human authority.”  

This doesn’t mean blind obedience, but it surely does mean that we must always pray for them to exercise great wisdom within the multitude of inauspicious decisions. It also means we are able to practise good citizenship by having some grace for our leaders, and acknowledging the dimensions of the duty they face. 

So as we take stock of the primary yr of this Labour administration, let’s commit to praying for good government. What does that appear to be? As Tom Wright and Mike Bird put it of their excellent book, Jesus and the Powers, “when government performs its job well it enables freedom to flourish, perpetuates peace and administers justice.”

And in our engagement with government and all those in authority over us, let’s seek to be an electorate that is smart and patient, but still hungering and thirsting for freedom, peace and justice, each domestically and internationally. 

Tim Farron has been the Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005 and served because the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party from 2015 to 2017. Tim can also be the host of Premier’s ‘A Mucky Business’ podcast, which unpacks the murky world of politics and encourages believers across the UK to interact prayerfully. He is the writer of A Mucky Business: Why Christians should get entangled in politics.