The dominant narrative of the last 24 hours was the announcement of a new NHS support package for care leavers, detailed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. This was part of a series of policy announcements ahead of the Christmas holiday, which also included the delivery of pension payments to ex-mineworkers and changes to agricultural inheritance tax.
Across 31 relevant posts, seasonal messages thanking public sector workers were common. The most viewed post was from the Department of Health and Social Care, with a Christmas message to NHS staff that garnered over 104,000 views.
Three Major Themes
- NHS Support for Care Leavers: Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, and the Department of Health and Social Care announced a new policy providing free prescriptions, dental and eye care, mental health support, and NHS job opportunities for care leavers up to age 25.
- Financial Policy Delivery: Ed Miliband and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed that the first pension payments for 40,000 ex-mineworkers were being made. Separately, Emma Reynolds announced an increase in the inheritance tax threshold for agricultural property to protect more family farms.
- Animal Welfare Strategy: Jo Stevens and Defra highlighted new animal welfare policies, including a commitment to ban trail hunting, which was described as a “smokescreen for hunting live mammals,” and to phase out the use of colony cages for hens.
The period began with a series of seasonal messages and policy statements. The Department of Health and Social Care posted a video message from Health Secretary Wes Streeting thanking NHS staff. The Ministry of Defence highlighted the support available for veterans over Christmas.
Policy announcements included Defra publishing its new Animal Welfare Strategy. Jo Stevens later elaborated on this, stating that the government promised to ban trail hunting because loopholes have allowed illegal hunting to continue, calling it a “smokescreen for hunting live mammals with dogs.”
Ministers also shared personal messages. Wes Streeting thanked health and social care staff working over the holiday, and Bridget Phillipson thanked those working in education. The Department for Work and Pensions issued several notices regarding Jobcentre opening hours and payment dates over the festive period.
The morning saw a significant policy announcement led by Wes Streeting, who detailed “wide-ranging NHS support for care leavers” including free prescriptions, dental care, and guaranteed interviews for NHS jobs. Bridget Phillipson supported the move, stating, “We’re stepping in to back them with better physical and mental health support.” The Department of Health and Social Care also promoted the new policy. Streeting later noted the inspiration for the policy came from the author Ashley John-Baptiste.
Other major announcements followed. Ed Miliband stated that the government is “delivering pension justice for 40,000 ex-mineworkers” with the first payments landing today, a message echoed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Wales Office. Emma Reynolds announced changes to inheritance tax, “increasing the individual threshold from £1m to £2.5m” for agricultural property relief to protect family farms. The Home Office announced a “new work and study visa route” for refugees to earn permanent settlement. Additionally, Jo Stevens confirmed the government will phase out colony cages for hens as they deny natural behaviours.
Outlook / Emerging Trends
The series of policy announcements just before the Christmas holiday indicates a focus on demonstrating tangible delivery of pledges to specific constituencies, such as ex-mineworkers and farmers. The introduction of the NHS support package for care leavers suggests that targeted social policy reforms remain a key priority. With the animal welfare strategy also being promoted, the government is setting the stage to pursue legislative and regulatory changes across multiple departments in the new year.
