British general election - 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": For years, Keir Starmer has repeatedly emphasized that we must climb a mountain since he took over leading the British Labour Party. His social democrats have not only reached some peak but, as described by renowned reporter Beth Rigby from Sky News, Starmer has "just conquered Everest and set off into space" following the British parliamentary election results.
The keys to the famous black door with the number 10 in Downing Street are now passing back to Labour after 14 years of conservative rule. By Friday afternoon, King Charles III, as the head of state, should officially commission Starmer with government formation. The 61-year-old will be able to rule uncontested. The outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated him early in the morning.
According to BBC's forecast, 410 of the 650 parliamentarians could be Labour members. "Labour will have enough seats to form the strongest opposition faction," jokes journalist Iain Dale.
Sunak's time as party leader coming to an end
Political relations in the United Kingdom are in disarray. The Conservative Party of the former Prime Minister Sunak has been decimated: The faction is predicted to shrink to 144 members, barely more than a third of the previous mandates. Sunak himself remains in parliament. However, the result of the "difficult night," as he called it, may cost him the position of chairman. Within the party, several contenders for his leadership position are being discussed.
The actual size of the Labour majority is irrelevant in the parliamentary system of Great Britain. However, a comfortable buffer makes governing easier for Starmer. The smaller the majority, the greater the risk of being blackmailed by backbenchers on contentious issues. For Starmer, the way seems clear now to implement his self-proclaimed mandate and lead Great Britain through a "decade of national renewal."
The massive majority could overshadow the risks for the designated premier. "Labour is facing massive political challenges and is being carried by a broad coalition in the electorate, which is very wide but also very superficial," says the 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 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, approximately 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 then conservative Prime Minister Boris 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 did not vote for Labour on his account, but to punish the Conservatives after 14 years of chaos, scandals, and economic stagnation. Professor John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, the most famous pollster in the country, stated this before the prediction.
In fact, Labour must also accept some setbacks. Frontbench politician Jonathan Ashworth unexpectedly loses his constituency to an independent, pro-Palestinian candidate. Even Party Leader Starmer received significantly fewer votes than before. A contender even emerged who criticizes Israel's actions in Gaza.
Majority with Few Votes
In the British first-past-the-post electoral system, only the winner of a constituency can enter the House of Commons. Votes for losing candidates have no effect. However, the situation is close: Although Labour could have almost a two-thirds majority in the House, the party probably received significantly less than 50% of the votes. Voter turnout also seemed low.
This is evident in the results of the smaller parties. The Liberals could increase their number of seats fivefold, according to the forecast. Reform UK, the right-wing populists, went from zero seats to 13 MPs - significantly more than expected. "Labour must work hard in the government to keep voters who voted for Starmer in 2024," comments Sky News reporter Rigby.
Huge Challenges
Voter retention could prove challenging. The country faces enormous challenges. The National Health Service (NHS) is struggling, there is a housing shortage, prisons are overcrowded, there is a critical shortage of skilled labor, Brexit is still not resolved, and trust in politics is shattered. The list could go on.
However, there is actually no money to finance improvements and necessary investments. Labour plans to abolish tax breaks for private schools, close tax loopholes for wealthy foreigners, and increase the corporate tax rate for energy companies. However, nothing changes for private households, which are already under the highest tax burden in decades. Starmer and Labour face many more mountains to climb after their first summit.
- Following the British parliamentary election results, Beth Rigby from Sky News described Keir Starmer's achievement as conquering Everest and setting off into space, implying his significant success.
- Rishi Sunak, the outgoing Prime Minister, congratulated Starmer early in the morning, acknowledging his victory in the Parliamentary election.
- According to BBC's forecast, Starmer's Labour Party could have up to 410 members in Parliament, enough to form the strongest opposition faction.
- Sky News reporter Iain Dale jokingly commented that the actual size of the Labour majority is irrelevant in the British parliamentary system, but a comfortable buffer makes governing easier.
- The Conservative Party, led by Sunak, has been decimated, shrinking to 144 members, barely more than a third of the previous mandates.
- In fact, Labour received significantly less than 50% of the votes in the first-past-the-post electoral system, despite having almost a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons.
- King Charles III, as the head of state, is expected to commission Starmer with government formation at Downing Street by Friday afternoon.
- The massive majority could overshadow the risks for Starmer, but Professor John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde warned that Labour faces massive political challenges as they're being carried by a broad but superficial coalition in the electorate.
