The Labour government has achieved one of its key NHS targets as waiting times saw their biggest improvement in 16 years.
This week, Keir Starmer and his government have been dogged by calls for him to resign as leader as dozens of Labour MPs revolted against the PM.
This culminated in Wes Streeting resigning as health secretary on Thursday, effectively firing the starting gun on a leadership contest.
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Hours later, Labour MP Josh Simons stood down from his Makerfield seat to give Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a route back to parliament and the opportunity to challenge Starmer for the leadership.
This of course all comes off the back of poor local election results for Labour, who have languished behind Reform in the polls for months.
If you looked at the media coverage and public sentiment, you’d think this government was the worst we’ve ever seen in the UK.
And yet, with every passing week more and more evidence emerges that they are in fact making great progress in key areas.
Good news on the economy – and now the NHS
Just this week, the ONS reported that the UK economy had seen a surprising 0.6% of growth in the first quarter of 2026, the fastest growth of any G7 nation so far this year.
Now the government has some positive health stats to point to as well as proof that its plans for the country is working.
The government has hit one of its key NHS targets on waiting times, with 65% of patients being treated within 18 weeks, the Guardian reports.
This is the biggest improvement in NHS waiting times in 16 years, and the first time since November 2021 that more than 65% of patients were seen within 18 weeks.
Streeting had told the NHS to ensure this target was hit by the end of March. The latest NHS England figures published on Thursday show this was achieved by hospitals, with 65.3% of people on the NHS waiting list treated within that timeframe in March.
This is a key target for Labour in their pledge to restore the NHS to pre-Covid levels – when 92% of patients were seen within 18 weeks – by 2029.
Figures also show the NHS waiting list has been slashed by more than half a million since Labour came to power, dropping from 7.62m in July 2024 to 7.11m.
In the last year alone, the waiting list is down by over 312,000, the biggest year-on-year reduction in 16 years, and the waiting list is at its lowest in three and a half years.
The NHS also carried out a record 29.9 million diagnostic procedures over the last financial year, more than at any point in its history.
Meanwhile ambulance delays are also down, with Category 1 ambulance response times improved from around 8 minutes to just over 7 minutes year-on-year.
NHS Chief Executive Officer, Sir Jim Mackey said: “This is a huge moment for the NHS. Hitting our targets for the first time in years hasn’t happened by accident – it’s been down to an absolutely enormous effort from NHS staff up and down the country.
“Today’s achievement goes beyond a set of remarkable statistics – it shows that we’re making real inroads on the things that matter to our patients and communities.
The progress was highlighted this week by a report from Channel 4 News, which you can watch below.
Of course, as the man who has overseen this progress since Labour returned to power, it may well be that Streeting uses this to his advantage should he stand in a leadership contest.
He said Thursday’s figures were proof that under his leadership the NHS is “on the road to recovery” and that “our plan for the NHS is working.”
“It means we are right on track to deliver the fastest reduction in waiting times in the history of the NHS.
“That is thanks to the government’s investment, modernisation and the remarkable efforts of staff right across the board.”