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If you’re interested in what’s happening in Parliament, my newsletter explains the bills MPs are debating each week. Get it free here: clearthelobby.co.uk

A newsletter explaining the bills MPs are voting on each week

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There’s still lots to do. The waiting list needs taming, for one. But amid a gloomy national mood, let’s not overlook the things that are, quietly, on the up.

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4. Half a million unnecessary appointments avoided Thanks to Advice and Guidance, GPs accessed consultant advice directly for patients. That prevented 500,000+ unnecessary hospital referrals between April and August.

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3. Tests and checks jump The NHS delivered almost 7.5m tests and checks. That’s over 250,000 more than last summer.

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2. Record cancer diagnoses More than 654,000 patients received a cancer diagnosis (or had it ruled out) within 28 days. That’s 28,000 more than summer 2024. Plus, an extra 2,400 patients starting cancer treatment within 62 days of a diagnosis.

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1. Record elective cases 4.6m cases were managed by the NHS between June and August. That’s up 138,000 on last year. Treatments per working day also rose 4.4% on last August.

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The NHS just had a record summer. That’s despite resident doctors striking in July. But no one is talking about it! 4 impressive stats:

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If you’re interested in what’s going on in Parliament, my newsletter explains the bills MPs are debating each week. Get it free here: clearthelobby.co.uk

A newsletter explaining the bills MPs are voting on each week

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So the polls may not look great for Labour right now. And the Caerphilly result was nothing to celebrate. But the good news is that 2029 is very much still in play.

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Green, Lib Dem, and Tory voters won’t love this. But they know that voting anything other than Labour in a winnable seat helps Farage win. And the polling shows they won’t take the risk.

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Starmer (45%) was way ahead of Farage (33%). That lead remains when they stripped away the names and asked about Labour (46%) vs Reform (34%). So either way, the anti-Reform bloc holds strong.

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The next general election looks like a straight Starmer vs Farage fight. It’ll probably have echoes of Macron vs Le Pen in France. And when YouGov asked voters who they’d prefer as PM, the result was clear.

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Those who will do anything to stop Farage. In Caerphilly they rallied behind Plaid Cymru – and won. In 2029, the data suggests they’ll back Labour.

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In Caerphilly, Reform won 36% of the vote. That’s way above the ~30% they’re polling at nationally. But it STILL wasn’t enough to win, because of a quiet voter group we never talk about:

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Labour’s poor showing in the Caerphilly by-election wasn’t a shock. We all knew it wasn’t going to be a good night. What’s much more surprising is Reform’s performance.

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Labour can completely win in 2029. Strangely, the path to a second term is buried in the Caerphilly result. Here’s a simple explainer:

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If you’re interested in what’s happening in Parliament, my newsletter explains the bills MPs are debating each week. Get it free here: clearthelobby.co.uk

A newsletter explaining the bills MPs are voting on each week

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8. Crackdown on employers underpaying staff Labour has named and shamed almost 500 employers who failed to pay the minimum wage. They’ve been fined, and around 42,000 workers have been repaid.

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7. Mental health support to get people back into work The £80m package will target areas with the highest unemployment. Plus, Labour is investing £50m into mental health research.

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6. Knife robberies down Offences fell 10% among the seven police forces most impacted by knife crime. Comes as part of a taskforce crackdown that started last year.

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5. Toughest Russia sanctions yet Labour announced 90 new sanctions on oil companies, including giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

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4. Protecting Jewish communities Labour announced record funding for security around synagogues and Jewish schools. Stats show religious hate crime at highest ever levels, with Jewish people most targeted.

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3. £84m homelessness package Funding will help families cover essentials like food, school travel, and laundry. Children and families in temporary accommodation will be prioritised.

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2. Stronger planning laws to boost building The changes will prevent locals from blocking housing using judicial reviews. They’ll also speed up new reservoirs and onshore wind farms.

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1. Half of rail operators publicly owned Greater Anglia's services entered public ownership on Sunday. Public operators now run 33% of all passenger rail journeys.

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Labour has a lot to celebrate this week. Not all of it made the papers, but there was plenty of good news for progressives. 8 important changes:

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If you’re interested in what’s going in Parliament, my newsletter explains the bills MPs are debating each week. Get it free here: clearthelobby.co.uk

A newsletter explaining the bills MPs are voting on each week

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7. Record fraud crackdown Fraudsters were stopped from stealing £480m of public money in the government’s biggest ever fraud crackdown. That means more funding for schools, hospitals, and other public services.

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6. £110bn in financial services investment Revolut opened its global HQ in London, committing to invest £3bn in the UK and create 1,000 jobs. That follows investments including £100bn from Blackstone and £7bn from BlackRock.

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5. Digital ID cards The scheme will: • Help combat illegal working • Make it easier to use government services

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4. Gatwick second runway approved Labour expects the plans to create thousands of jobs and billions in investment. The project will be privately financed.

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3. Formally recognising Palestine Britain recognised the Palestinian state, alongside Canada and Australia. Aims to protect the viability of a two-state solution, and peace in the region.

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2. Record number of infrastructure projects Labour green-lit 21 projects in its first year. That’s more than any government has ever achieved in their first 12 months.

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1. £5bn for ‘overlooked’ communities 339 areas will get up to £20m each to spend on boosting high streets, parks, and public spaces. Communities will also get powers to save pubs and libraries, and block betting and vape shops.

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Sebastian Salek @sebastiansalek.com · 23/09/2025

It was a great week to be Labour. There’s plenty of good news to celebrate as members head to conference. 7 highlights:

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Foreigners aren’t coming here to live off benefits. We have the stats to prove it. So let’s kill this MYTH once and for all.

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Sebastian Salek @sebastiansalek.com · 23/09/2025

Oh we definitely shouldn’t stop talking about that

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There’s no limit to who Farage will come for. First it was asylum seekers, now it’s legal migrants like my parents. I don’t want to know where this ends.

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If you’re interested in what’s happening in Parliament, my newsletter explains the bills MPs are debating each week. Get it free here: clearthelobby.co.uk

A newsletter explaining the bills MPs are voting on each week

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STAX (engineering) Committed £37m to expand its UK operations, including installing emissions-reducing technology at ports.

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Boeing (aerospace) First time the UK will build US military aircraft in more than 50 years. The investment will create 150+ jobs in Birmingham, and another 190 across the UK.

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Amentum (engineering and tech) £150m investment creating more than 3,000 jobs in areas including, Glasgow, Warrington, and the Midlands. Expanding its UK workforce by over 50%.

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Nvidia (chips) Investing £500m in UK cloud computing startup Nscale. Deploying 120,000 chips, giving the UK the largest cluster of AI computing power in Europe.

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Palantir (data analytics) Will develop AI-powered capabilities for the Armed Forces. Also establishing London as its European defence HQ, creating up to 350 high-skilled jobs.

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