Keir Starmer pledged to rebuild Britain as the next prime minister after his Labour Party achieved a landslide victory in Friday’s parliamentary election, bringing an end to 14 years of often tumultuous Conservative rule.
The centre-left Labour Party secured a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament. Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives experienced the worst performance in the party’s history, as voters punished them for a cost of living crisis, failing public services, and numerous scandals.
“We did it,” Starmer declared in his victory speech. “Change begins now … We said we would end the chaos, and we will. We said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal, and start to rebuild our country.”
The election results have dramatically shifted British politics. Labour won approximately 410 seats, an increase of 210, while the Conservatives, historically the western world’s most successful party, lost about 250 lawmakers, including a record number of senior ministers and former Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The Scottish National Party collapsed, losing 38 seats, ending its decade-long dominance in Scotland and shattering its dreams of independence. Conversely, the Irish nationalists Sinn Fein became Northern Ireland’s largest party for the first time.
Meanwhile, the populist right-wing Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, the prominent Brexit campaigner and friend of Donald Trump, garnered over four million votes. Though it secured only four seats, its significant siphoning of Conservative support positions Farage as a major challenge for the two major parties.
A somber Sunak announced his resignation as party leader. He was meeting King Charles to formally step down before Starmer’s appointment.
“To the country, I would like to say, first and foremost, I am sorry,” Sunak stated in his final speech outside Downing Street. “I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change, and yours is the only judgment that matters. I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss.”
Despite his convincing victory, polls indicate a lack of enthusiasm for Starmer or his party. Due to the quirks of Britain’s first-past-the-post system and low voter turnout, Labour’s triumph was achieved with fewer votes than in 2017 and 2019 – the latter being its worst result in 84 years.
The pound, British stocks, and government bonds rose on Friday, but Starmer assumes power during a time of significant challenges. Britain’s tax burden is set to reach its highest since just after World War Two, net debt nearly equals annual economic output, living standards have declined, and public services, especially the National Health Service, are under strain.
Some of Labour’s ambitious plans, such as its flagship green spending pledges, have already been scaled back. Starmer has promised not to raise taxes for “working people.” He has also vowed to scrap the Conservatives’ controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda but faces pressure to address the issue of tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel from France on small boats.
“I don’t promise you it will be easy,” Starmer said. “Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. It’s hard work. Patient, determined work, and we will have to get moving immediately.”
Within the Conservative Party, the recriminations and debate over its future direction began immediately. Some argued the party’s failure stemmed from shifting to the right, while others believed Reform won over voters who felt the party was not right-wing enough for its traditional supporters.
“There is a massive gap on the center-right of British politics, and my job is to fill it, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” said a triumphant Farage after finally being elected to parliament on his eighth attempt. “Believe me, folks, this is just the first step of something that is going to stun all of you.”
The growth in support for a right-wing alternative mirrors recent trends in Europe, where the far right has been surging. Unlike France, where Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party made historic gains in an election last Sunday, the British public has chosen a center-left party for change.
Starmer has pledged to improve relations with the European Union to resolve issues created by Britain’s split from the bloc. Despite opposing Brexit, rejoining the EU is not on the table. He may also have to work with Trump if he wins November’s presidential election. Trump has already sent congratulations to Farage via his social media platform Truth Social.
While promising domestic change, Starmer has vowed to continue London’s unwavering support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. On many foreign issues, his policies align with Sunak’s.
The election victory represents a remarkable turnaround for Starmer and Labour, which critics and supporters alike said was facing an existential crisis just three years ago after its 2019 defeat.
A series of Conservative scandals, most notably revelations of parties in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns, undermined then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, causing their commanding poll lead to evaporate. Truss’s disastrous six-week premiership in 2022, following Johnson’s forced resignation, cemented the decline, and Sunak was unable to dent Labour’s commanding poll lead.
Sunak stunned Westminster and many within his party by calling the election earlier than necessary while trailing badly in the polls, and his campaign proved disastrous.
“What is crystal clear to me tonight is it is not so much that Labour won this election, but rather that the Conservatives have lost it,” said Defense Minister Grant Shapps, the most high-profile minister to lose his seat. “We have tried the patience of traditional Conservative voters with a propensity to create an endless political soap opera out of internal rivalries and divisions, which have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched.”
Image source: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/05/g-s1-8456/uk-labour-party-win-keir-starmer
