Keir Starmer's rocky first 100 days in No10 - riots, freebies and winter fuel cut

While delivering on key promises on workers' rights, Keir Starmer has been dogged by rows over freebies and a winter fuel cut during his first 100 days in Downing Street

Keir Starmer is marking a milestone today as he reaches his 100th day in Downing Street.

After a rocky start to the first Labour government in over 14 years, the cheering crowds of supporters waving Union Jack flags outside No10 will be a fond, but likely distant memory.

While delivering on key promises on issues such as workers' rights, the PM has been dogged by rows over freebies, cuts to winter fuel payments, a backbench rebellion, and forced to part with his chief-of-staff, Sue Gray. Polling suggests the damaging headlines have also taken a severe toll on his popularity.

But most are still willing to give Labour the benefit of the doubt after just 100 days in office and the carnage the party inherited after 14 years of Tory rule. And with a rejigged inner-circle around him in No10, Mr Starmer will now turn to Labour's first Budget since 2010 as a chance to reset his government.

Here The Mirror looks at some of the key moments from the first 100 days of the new Labour government.

Rwanda plan scrapped

One of the first decisions Mr Starmer made after becoming PM was to scrap the Rwanda deportation plan. It was a flagship Tory policy, but there were gasps in the Commons chamber as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed how much it cost. She told MPs that the previous Government secretly planned to plough £10billion into the scheme, and had sunk £700million already.

Ms Cooper said: "It's the most shocking waste of taxpayers' money I've ever seen." She added: "Most shocking of all, over the next six years of the migration and economic development forecast the previous Government had planned to spend over £10billion of taxpayers' money on the scheme. They didn't tell Parliament that."

Inmates released with prisons at 'breaking point'

The PM said he wasn't going to shy away from tough decisions - and there was one that immediately needed his attention when he arrived in No10.

The lack of prison spaces was so severe that Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood had to announce an early release scheme to prevent "the impending collapse of the criminal justice system".

Under the plans, announced on July 12 and came into effect last month, some inmates would be freed after serving just 40% of their sentences. There were a number of exceptions, with terrorists, violent thugs, sex offenders and those covicted of domestic abuse not eligible.

The Government said it brought the move in reluctantly, but had no choice with the prison system on the brink of running out of cells.

Bill to renationalise railways put forward

One of the first major pieces of legislation put forward by the new Government was the highly-anticipated Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

This Bill, which is still making its way through Parliament, are part of Labour's plan to bring the “broken” private rail ownership back into the public sector. It is the first stage in the process, and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said she hopes the Bill is "done and dusted" by the end of the year.

Two-child benefit limit rebellion

The controversial two-child benefit limit provided one of the first major flashpoints of Mr Starmer's leadership and led to seven Labour MPs being suspended.

The Prime Minister suffered the first revolt of his premiership after the SNP tabled an amendment to the King's Speech to immediately ditch the policy - which has been blamed for trapping families in poverty. It bars almost all parents from claiming Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit for any kids beyond their first two.

Although Labour didn't pledge to get rid of it in its election manifesto, Mr Starmer faces strong calls from all sides to do so. On July 23 seven Labour MPs, including the former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, backed the SNP amendment, and were handed a suspension. The Government comfortably defeated the bid by 363 votes to 103 - but expect the row to rumble on.

Public sector pay hike

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that millionsof public sector workers will get above-inflation pay rises as she sought to bring an end to the industrial action hitting the economy.

She told MPs that the Government would accept the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies, covering key workers including teachers, nurses, police and armed forces. She said it was the "right decision for the people who work in, and most importantly, the people who use our public services''.

The Government hopes this will be enough to stop the strikes and go part way to solving recruitment and retention issues among nurses, teachers and other public sector workers.

Winter fuel payments cut

... but a massive flashpoint came as Ms Reeves announced on the same day winter fuel payments would be cut for millions. Instead the Chancellor said the support of up to £300 would be means-tested, with only those on Pension Credit or other benefits eligible.

She blamed this on a £22billion black hole left behind by the Tories. It means that around 10million older people are expected to miss out, and proved deeply unpopular among sections of the Labour Party - as well as sparking outrage across the Commons.

Charity Age UK is among the groups calling for a U-turn - warning that pensioners will be unable to heat their homes as a result of the policy. There are also concerns over the take-up of Pension Credit, with fears a staggering 760,000 poorer OAPs could still miss out. And in a blow to the new government, delegates at the Labour Party conference in September also voted to scrap the cut.

Far-right riots break out

Police forces in several parts of the UK endured days of rioting as gangs of racist thugs targeted hotels used by asylum seekers and mosques during the summer.

Rioters took to the streets following the killing of three young girls at a dance class in Southport on July 29. As misinformation spread online, thugs descended on the Merseyside town, clashing with police and targeting worshippers at a local mosque.

In the coming days there was further rioting in other areas, with the Government forced to announced swift sentencing in order to bring the disorder to an end. A similar approach was used when violence broke out in 2011, but that didn't stop billionaire attention seeker Elon Musk from getting involved, accusing Mr Starmer of overseeing a 'two tier' justice system. A similar claim was made by Nigel Farage, who continues to whine about it.

Row over freebies

A damaging row over freebies threatened to overshadow the start of Labour's first party conference in power in over 14 years.

The PM had been dogged by criticism for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothes and glasses for himself and his wife Victoria from Labour peer and donor Lord Alli. An analysis also found he accepted more lavish gifts and hospitality than any other MP since 2019.

In September he made clear he will no longer accept gifts of clothes and earlier this month the PM said he had paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality as he attempted to draw a line under the row.

He covered the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Victoria.

Sue Gray ousted as No10 chief of staff

On October 7 came news that Sue Gray was ousted as Keir Starmer's chief-of-staff after weeks of negative briefings aimed her.

Ms Gray, who as a civil servant led the Partygate investigation into Boris Johnson, said she was standing down after "intense" coverage of her in the news was becoming a "distraction".

In a statement, she said it had "become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government's vital work of change". A row broke out in September after it emerged she was paid more than the PM on a salary of £170,000. It was a major talking point at the party's annual conference - where Ms Gray was notably absent.

Senior No10 aide Morgan McSweeney - credited for overseeing Labour's election campaign victory - replaced her as chief-of-staff on Sunday. Instead, Ms Gray will take on a new role as the Prime Minister's envoy for the nations and regions.

Historic workers' rights shake-up

Delivering on the promise to unveil a shake-up of workers' rights within the first 100 days, Deputy PM Angela Rayner this week published the landmark Employment Rights Bill.

Billed as the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, it contains 28 reforms, including a ban on exploitative zero hours contracts and boosting sick pay provisions. It promises to end the practice of bad bosses firing and rehiring staff on worse terms while providing parental and bereavement leave from day one. And after years of Tory attacks on unions, the government will repeal anti-strike laws.

But certain measures such as the "right to switch off", which would prevent employers emailing and texting staff outside working hours, were not included.