The results of the UK elections are final. According to the official count, Labour secured 412 seats, an increase of 211 compared to the 2019 vote. The Conservatives won 121 seats, a loss of 251 seats. The Liberal Democrats gained 72 seats, an increase of 64, while the Scottish National Party secured nine seats, a decrease of 39. Thirty-six seats (+15) went to other parties, including Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, which entered Parliament for the first time with five seats.
The British people were promised “Big changes” by the new Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, in his inaugural speech following King Charles III’s directive to establish a new cabinet. This occurred following the overwhelming victory of his Labour Party over the Conservatives in the recent emergency parliamentary elections.
Keir Starmer addressed the nation from 10 Downing Street, asserting that the electorate had provided a clear mandate for change. The new Prime Minister pledged to restore integrity to politics and move away from what he termed “noisy spectacle.”
In his speech, Starmer called for national unity and urged citizens to exercise caution in their daily lives. He emphasized the urgency of the changes his government plans to implement, while also tempering expectations about the speed of transformation.
“Changing the country is not like flipping a switch,” Starmer remarked, acknowledging that the process of reform would be gradual rather than instantaneous.
He said the new government will focus on enhancing the National Health Service (NHS), reducing street crime, strengthening border security, and reducing energy expenditures. In other words, he made a grandiose promise, a practice frequently employed by Western politicians today, only to experience a conspicuous failure. Recently, Britain has witnessed the downfall of three of his Conservative predecessors in a short period: the extravagant Boris Johnson, who is most renowned for his unique hairstyle; Liz Truss, who is famous for her record-breaking nonsensical statements; and Rishi Sunak, a member of an Indian multimillionaire family who otherwise did not make a significant impact. Mrs Truss saw her majority of around 23,000 votes vanish and was defeated by Labour. She received just 630 votes.
In terms of appearance, Keir Starmer is significantly distinct from them. Not only is he the first member of the Labour Party to hold the British Prime Minister’s office in the past 14 years. In contrast to Johnson, he consistently maintains a well-groomed appearance in the English style, and unlike Truss, he refrains from making apparent errors in public, always exercising caution when expressing himself. Thirdly, he can take pride in his status as “from the people.”
Keir Starmer, who is 61 years old, was, in fact, born in London to a working-class family. His mother was a nurse, and his father was a toolmaker. He was initially motivated by socialist principles and subsequently enrolled in the Labour Party at the age of 16. He was able to successfully complete his bachelor’s degree in law at the University of Leeds and subsequently pursued civil law at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University. He commenced his legal profession as a barrister following the completion of his academic studies. In Britain, this is an uncommon group of lawyers who specialize in court defense, and he primarily addressed human rights issues. He eventually attained the prestigious status of Queen’s Counsel. The Crown Prosecution Service was under the leadership of Keir Starmer from 2008 to 2013. He was granted the status of an honorary knight and the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2014. In other words, he has long since lost any genuine connection to the British “working class.” He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015 and was appointed as the leader of the Labour Party in 2020.
Nevertheless, Starmer consistently emphasized his “working-class background” during his election campaign, thereby contrasting himself from his opponent, Sunak. Keir Starmer is perceived as being entirely devoid of emotion and charisma despite his tendency for a broad smile.
Some analysts contend that the Labour Party’s resounding victory was not attributable to its leader but rather to the overwhelming frustration of Britons with the Conservatives and their unsuccessful policies, which had led to the nation’s descent into crisis. The Conservative Party was forced to depose two prime ministers—Johnson and Truss—within weeks in 2022 due to the increasing cost of living, continuous strikes, and political upheavals. In an attempt to stabilize the situation, Sunak was appointed, but this also failed.
There are two more notable winners. Brexit Bulldog Nigel Farage was elected to the Commons for the first time in Clacton, securing a majority of over 8,000 ballots. Reform UK became the third-largest party in the country by number of ballots as a result of his return to the forefront of politics, which transformed this election. Farage pledged to “astonish” the electorate. The election of former Conservative MP Lee Anderson and Reform co-founder Richard Tice to the Commons was also a result of his party’s surge.
After being expelled from Labour for his response to antisemitism, Jeremy Corbyn succeeded as an independent candidate, competing in Islington North, the constituency he has represented since 1983. Despite Labour fielding a candidate against him, Corbyn’s local popularity ensured that he won the north London seat with over 7,000 ballots.
One of the major concerns about the election is what type of Conservative Party will emerge from the worst result in its modern history. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, as well as individuals like James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch, are expected to try to shape the party’s future.