Keir Starmer's Bumpy Ride: A Year in Power

Keir Starmer, the UK's Prime Minister, is having a tough time. It's been a year since he took charge, and things aren't going as smoothly as he hoped. His party, Labour, won a big victory last year, but now, many in his own party are unhappy with him. They're not happy about his plans to change welfare benefits. This is a big problem because if enough of his party members vote against him, his plans won't pass. Starmer has had some wins. He's helped Ukraine and made a trade deal with the US. But at home, people are not happy. Prices are still high, and the economy isn't growing much. His popularity is low, even lower than a former prime minister who only lasted 49 days in office. That's not a good sign. This week, there's a big vote on welfare changes. Starmer had to change his plans after many in his party said they wouldn't support them. He promised that people already getting benefits won't be affected, but some still aren't happy. This is the third time in a few weeks that Starmer has had to change his mind about something. First, he didn't cut heating help for old people. Then, he started an inquiry into child abuse. Now, this. Some people think Starmer isn't a good leader. They say he should be able to get his plans through because his party has so many seats in Parliament. But others think he's doing the best he can. They say he's had to make tough choices because the country is in a bad way. Starmer knows he's made mistakes. He said he should have paid more attention to what was happening in his own party. He was too focused on other things, like NATO and the Middle East. The opposition party, the Conservatives, did badly in the last election. But there's a new party, Reform UK, that's gaining support. If this continues, it could change UK politics forever. Starmer has time on his side. He doesn't have to call an election until 2029. But he has to fix things soon, or he might not be in power much longer.