After years of speculation, contention, and more than a decade of rule under the Conservative Party, the people of the United Kingdom have decided to take the leftist road. On July 4, the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, secured a landslide victory, winning 412 seats, gaining 214 seats, and became the largest party in the House of Commons. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party, led by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, lost 252 seats, retaining only 121 seats in Parliament. The dramatic upset by Labour signals the nation’s new leftward drift.
While the election is being noted as a historic moment for the UK, Labour’s victory was not much of a surprise, although the shift in the last five years has been remarkable. Ever since 2019, when the Conservative Party had an especially strong showing under the leadership of Boris Johnson, the party has faced major political turmoil. Scandals have included so-called “Partygate,” which resulted in Johnson’s resignation in 2022, and investigations of various party members for illegally betting on the election. Each scandal prompted a collapse of confidence among the public. From a policy standpoint, the Conservative Party’s failures to properly address the rising costs of living, poor management of the National Healthcare Service, and other policy failures only compounded the public’s growing and deep dissatisfaction.
Then there was Brexit.
Continued internal divisions over Brexit and the divisions over the party’s leadership led many in the UK to believe it was time for a change.
How much of a change? This was nothing short of the worst defeat in the history of the Conservative Party.
Starmer Promises Change
The Conservatives’ crushing defeat is now being described as a sobering moment for many of its Members of Parliament (MPs). The party’s leader and exiting prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said in his concession speech: “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight … I take responsibility for the loss.” Rishi thanked his Conservative supporters and congratulated Starmer in an intended sign of unity for the UK. Prominent Conservative MPs, including former Prime Minister Liz Truss and Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, lost their seats outright to their Labour and Liberal Democrat challengers.
Keir Starmer, the UK’s newest prime minister, is heralding the Labour Party’s win as a major victory for “change.”
“Change begins now,” a triumphant Starmer told supporters at the Tate Modern Art Gallery in central London during his victory speech. Starmer declared that with Labour’s victory for change now comes the party’s task to achieve its mandate: “Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together – national renewal.”
While Starmer has described himself as a socialist, some people on the Left feel he doesn’t go far enough. That includes (unsurprisingly) the far-left magazine Jacobin, which recently criticized him for what they called a rightward shift. Leftists have called out his “cautious” approach to Gaza and accused him of supporting corporate lobbyists.
The Labour Party’s Victory Isn’t Without Obstacles
While Labour Pary members celebrate their return to power, they have yet to realize that their victory isn’t without obstacles. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party managed to secure five seats in Parliament. That’s not a lot of seats, but it is a breakthrough for Farage and his party. Early polls suggested that the Reform UK could win up to 13 seats. The party’s gain of any seats at all, as well as its place as third in the popular vote, seems indicative of potential success in the future. Following his victory, Farage promised his supporters that he and his party would seek to “change politics forever.” In a video posted on X, Farage insisted: “The revolt against the establishment is underway.”
Also of note from this week’s results, the centrist Liberal Democrats managed to significantly increase their representation in Westminster. They had a stunning gain in seats, from 11 in 2019 to 71 today. Their strong performance, as the result of their leader’s unorthodox approach to campaigning, including bungee-jumping and other stunts, means that the Liberal Democrats have now replaced the Scottish National Party as the third largest party in the country, a position they have not held since 2015.
But of course, the big story is the win by Labour and Starmer.
Despite its success, Starmer’s Labour government still has a way to go. As Starmer settles into 10 Downing Street, he knows that the United Kingdom currently faces major economic turmoil and extensive problems with its nationalized healthcare system. Moreover, the internal division over Labour’s posture on the Israel-Hamas conflict will likely continue to put Starmer and his predecessor, the far-left Jeremy Corbyn, at odds with each other — almost certainly affecting and possibly changing the UK’s position on the conflict. Starmer’s Labour’s position on other major foreign policy matters, such as China’s aggression in Asia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, will certainly have the attention of allies and adversaries aboard.
In a world of tension and uncertainty, Labour’s jubilant electoral victory is about to face the reality of governing.
