From the NHS to new homes, Starmer’s successes and setbacks – in charts

Keir Starmer has presided over a fall in immigration and a surge in renewables, but his record on crime and justice is mixed. Composite: Prina Shah for the Guardian / Reuters / Getty Images View image in fullscreen Keir Starmer has presided over a fall in immigration and a surge in renewables, but his record on crime and justice is mixed. Composite: Prina Shah for the Guardian / Reuters / Getty Images From the NHS to new homes, Starmer’s successes and setbacks – in charts The PM said in May that ‘stories beat spreadsheets’, but what does the data tell us about his time in office? Keir Starmer is to step down as prime minister after just two years in office. Despite promising an end to Conservative sleaze and scandal, much political bandwidth towards the end of his time in No 10 was taken up by the fallout surrounding his appointment as US ambassador of Peter Mandelson, who had a close relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In his resignation speech, Starmer listed some of the things he had delivered in government, before accepting he had to quit in good grace. The emphasis on delivery stood in contrast to his “last chance” speech in May, in which he said he needed to make more political arguments – not simply talk about what he was doing, but why he was doing it. Starmer said in May that “stories beat spreadsheets”. But what stories do the spreadsheets tell about his time in office? The Guardian dives into the data to find the stories across several key policy areas. Record fall in immigration Immigration has been the dominant political topic of concern among voters under Starmer, particularly among Reform UK supporters and those over 55, according to Ipsos. The figures, however, show net migration has fallen, mainly the result of fewer health and care visas being issued and fewer people entering through the Ukraine and Afghanistan humanitarian schemes, the latter now closed. Net migration to the UK has fallen since the last election In a speech during his first year in No 10, Starmer announced a tightening of immigrations rules , including stricter English requirements, restrictions in worker and student visas, doubling the time to qualify for permanent residence and the “one in, one out” agreement with France to return people arriving in small boats. Fewer people have arrived by small boats in 2026 than in previous years. Number of cumulative arrivals by small boats in the UK by year The decline in immigration, however, does not seem to have taken the heat out of the issue. Research last summer from Prof Bobby Duffy at King’s College London found that 86% of people said there was a great or fair amount of tension between immigrants and people born in the UK – an increase from 74% in 2023, before Labour was elected. The full impact of many of the policies that Starmer initiated remains to be seen, according to the University of Oxford’s migration observatory , but some projections suggest negative net migration is likely i