Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s Labour party, reacts as he speaks at a reception to celebrate his win in the election, at Tate Modern, in London. (Reuters)
Power is poised to change hands in Westminster with a landslide win for the Labour party in the general elections. In a year where several elections globally have delivered surprising verdicts, the British public have stuck firmly with the consistent trends flagged by opinion polls. After 14 years in government, the public turned on the Tory party in no uncertain fashion. Labour returns to office with its first general election win in 19 years. Keir Starmer deserves plaudits for turning around the fortunes of a party that seemed in doldrums not so long ago. His challenge will lie in articulating a positive vision for the future amid sluggish economic productivity and tightened finances.
It was a night to remember for Labour supporters and one to forget for the Tories. Labour surged to 411 seats which represented an astounding upswing of 210 seats from 2019. Conversely, the Tories plunged to their worst result in their history. The party ended with a sobering 119 seats which meant a loss of about 248 seats from the last election. They were outflanked not just by Labour but also by the Liberal Democrats who had a tremendous night with 71 seats, their best outcome in a century. Disaffected Tory voters also boosted support for the Reform Party which won 4 seats and elected Nigel Farage as an MP for the first time.
Labour clearly benefitted from the groundswell of anti-incumbency across the country. It won seats across all regions. It regained support from ‘Northern Wall’ voters while also securing wins in the South. Crucially, it gained considerable ground in Scotland over the Scottish National Party which suggests that calls for Scottish independence are unlikely to gain traction in the medium term. To be fair, voter turnout was lower than expected but, at face value, the results also represent a vindication for the centrist approach favoured by Starmer. A party deemed unelectable not so long ago in the Corbyn era has bounced back.
Spare a thought for the outgoing PM Rishi Sunak, too. Granted that the Tories ran a lacklustre campaign where gaffes such as Sunak leaving a D-Day celebration early did not help. But taking a step back, he deserves a measure of appreciation for restoring stability to the government during his tenure. Inflation has come down and Sunak’s focus on fiscal restraint helped to steer the country through turbulence.
The truth though is that the Party-gate scandal and Liz Truss’ ill-fated premiership had caused irretrievable damage. A dramatic turnaround was too much to expect. The constant bickering and feuding within the party over the past year suggested that all was not as it should be. As the party heads to the opposition benches, the concern is that it may lurch further rightwards. Some will point to the support for the Reform party as evidence that the party lost because it was not right wing enough. The Tories would do well to remember that they are at their best when posing a unified front with a wider appeal across all regions. A period of introspection would be in order.
Turning to Labour, in the lead-up to the election, Starmer’s approach was focused on letting the Tories score own goals while remaining silent himself. That worked as leader of the opposition but to govern is to choose. What should he prioritise in government? First, continuing to keep a check on inflation headwinds by focusing on fiscal responsibility would be vital. Starmer will need to keep trade-union pressures at bay in this pursuit.
Second, targeted investment in infrastructure and in education should be prioritised. Britain’s long-term future depends on upskilling a population to boost productivity and ease dependency on welfare schemes. In this context, addressing health and social-care challenges faced by an ageing population cannot be ignored.
Further, a competitive British tax regime to boost entrepreneurship and a fit-for-purpose approach to immigration would be core as well. The discontent over “small boats” should not be forgotten. Alliances with like-minded democracies such as India will need to be cemented, too. Sunak’s rapport with his Indian counterpart was obvious. That needs to be developed further by his successor. Rebuilding relationships with European allies should also be factored.
As an exhausted Tory party cedes office, the result also speaks to the voter desire for renewal that has found expression through the democratic process. The public has signalled that it needs a hopeful vision for the future. In this narrative, a focus on stability and a push for growth are not mutually exclusive. If Keir Starmer is to make the most of his majority, he should push on when goodwill is intact. That would truly signify “taking back control”.
Bhandari is a London-based lawyer and political commentator
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 05-07-2024 at 16:03 IST
