Election in Great Britain - Election triumph for Labour heralds new era in the UK
Someone with a barely solvable task at hand, they must climb a mountain in English. "We have a mountain to climb": We must climb a mountain, Keir Starmer has repeatedly emphasized since he took over the British Labour Party. His social democrats have not only reached some mountain peak but have "just conquered Everest and set off into space," according to renowned reporter Beth Rigby from Sky News about the results of the British parliamentary election.
The keys to the famous black door with the number 10 in Downing Street are passing back to Labour after 14 years of conservative rule. By Friday afternoon, King Charles III. must officially commission Starmer as head of government as the state's representative. The 61-year-old can rule uncontested.
According to the first forecast, 410 of the 650 parliamentarians could be Labour members. That's more than double the number of Conservatives in 2019 under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "Labour will have enough seats to form the strongest opposition faction," jokes journalist Iain Dale.
Political circumstances in the United Kingdom are turning upside down. The Conservative Party of the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been devastatingly defeated: The faction is projected to shrink to 131 members, the fewest ever and barely more than a third of the previous mandates. Sunak is expected to lose the leadership position in the party, with several candidates for his CEO position being discussed.
The size of Labour's majority, whether it's 20 or 200 seats, plays no role in the parliamentary system of Great Britain. But of course, it makes governing easier for Starmer. The smaller the lead, the greater the risk of being blackmailed by backbenchers on contentious issues. For Starmer, the way seems clear to implement his self-proclaimed claim and lead Great Britain through a "decade of national renewal."
In fact, Labour's massive majority could overshadow the risks for the designated prime minister. "Labour is facing massive political challenges and is being carried by a broad coalition in the electorate, which is very wide but very shallow," says political scientist Anand Menon from the King's College London. "It's easy to see which dangers lie in wait."
Broad currents within the Labour Party
Starmer must first keep all the currents within the party in check. Labour is not to be equated with the German sister party SPD. The spectrum would reach in Germany, if a comparison is attempted, roughly from the Left Party to the rather conservative Seeheimer Kreis in the SPD.
The left wing around former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who lost disastrously against the conservative Johnson in 2019 and was subsequently expelled from the party by Starmer, could rebel if Labour moves too far into the political center. The Conservatives have given the place for that with their strong right-wing course of the past years.
Above all, Starmer now needs to convince the British women and men who didn't vote for Labour because of him, but to punish the Conservatives after 14 years of chaos, scandals, and economic stagnation, according to Professor John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, the most famous pollster in the country, even before the forecast.
Large Majority despite Few Votes
In British first-past-the-post electoral system, only the winner of a constituency can secure a seat in the House of Commons. Votes for losing candidates have no effect. However, the situation is closer than it appears: Although Labour could have almost a two-thirds majority in the House, the party probably received significantly less than 50% of the votes.
This is evident in the results of smaller parties. The Liberal Democrats are predicted to quadruple their number of seats, and Reform UK, the right-wing populists, are expected to gain 13 MPs - significantly more than anticipated. "Labour must work hard in the government to keep voters who voted for Starmer in 2024. They didn't vote Labour, they voted to get rid of the Conservatives," comments Sky News reporter Rigby.
Massive Challenges
This could be challenging. The country faces enormous challenges. The National Health Service (NHS) is struggling, there is a severe housing shortage, prisons are overcrowded, there is an acute shortage of skilled labor, Brexit is still not resolved, and trust in politics is shattered. The list could go on.
However, there is hardly any money to finance improvements and make necessary investments. Labour plans to scrap tax breaks for private schools, close tax loopholes for wealthy non-residents, and increase the corporate tax rate for energy companies. However, for households already under the highest tax burden in decades, nothing will change. Many more mountains await Starmer and Labour after their first summit.
Starmer's challenge extends beyond maintaining party unity, as he's not dealing with a party akin to the SPD in Germany. The Labour spectrum spans from the Left Party's left to the Seeheimer Kreis' conservatism within the SPD, if we make a comparison.
The left-wing supporters of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who faced disastrous defeat against Boris Johnson in 2019 and was subsequently expelled by Starmer, may rebel if Labour moves too far to the political center, given the Conservatives' strong right-wing push in recent years.
As Starmer navigates these challenges, he must also tackle Great Britain's major issues. The National Health Service (NHS) is struggling, housing is in dire straight, prisons are overcrowded, there's a severe shortage of skilled labor, Brexit remains unresolved, and trust in politics is at an all-time low - a list that goes on.
Despite the Labour Party's large majority in the House, it received significantly less than 50% of the votes due to the first-past-the-post electoral system. The Liberal Democrats are projected to quadruple their seat count, and Reform UK, the right-wing populists, are set to gain 13 MPs - a bigger increase than anticipated.
Starmer and Labour must prove themselves worthy of the voters who cast their ballots for change rather than Labour themselves in the 2024 general election, according to pollster Professor John Curtice, even before the forecast. Their aim is to replace the chaos, scandals, and economic stagnation of the past 14 years under the Conservative Party.
Boris Johnson, who has also stepped down as the Conservative Party leader, must now face King Charles III in an audience at Buckingham Palace. The monarch will then hand the keys to 10 Downing Street to the new Prime Minister, marking a change of era in Great Britain.
In Downing Street, Prime Minister Starmer must implement his "decade of national renewal" while avoiding the pitfalls of a shallow yet broad coalition within Labour and responding to the needs of the British people. He must tackle the towering mountains of challenges head-on, with Beth Rigby from Sky News and other political analysts watching closely.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson may still have an impact on British politics, especially if he decides to re-enter the political arena. As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confronts the consequences of a devastating defeat, Boris Johnson's leadership and future aspirations remain a topic of much interest and speculation, under the watchful eyes of media outlets like Sky News and the international community.
