UK Elections 2024: It is official! Keir Starmer has officially led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the UK elections 2024 after 14 years, as the party closed in on 408 seats in the 650-member Parliament as of 11:20 am (IST) on Friday. Starmer will now succeed the Conservative leader Rishi Sunak as the next British PM, amid a gigantic responsibility of recovering the flailing economy.
Sunak conceded defeat shortly before Labour crossed the majority mark. “The Labour Party has won this general election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory… Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future,” he said.
The Labour Party won well over 400 seats, while the Conservatives suffered their worst performance in the party’s long history with 115 seats as voters punished them for a cost of living crisis, failing public services, and a series of scandals. The most shocking defeat was that of former PM Liz Truss – who preceded Sunak – in Norfolk South West. A record number of senior ministers, including the defence secretary and one touted as a possible future leader, also lost their parliamentary seats.
“Change begins now,” Starmer said in a victory speech. “We said we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.”
Who is Keir Starmer?
Starmer has spent four years as opposition leader dragging his social democratic party from the left towards the political middle ground. He has assured the British population of change under the Labour government after 14 years, a change when people are suffering from a cost-of-living crisis and stuck with troubled access to healthcare.
Born in 1963, Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and a nurse who named him after Keir Hardie, the Labour Party’s first leader. He was one of four children and was raised in a poor household in a small town outside London.
Starmer’s mother suffered from Still’s disease, a chronic illness that left her in pain. Starmer has said that visiting her in the hospital and helping to care for her helped form his strong support for the state-funded National Health Service. Despite the tough conditions, he was the first member of his family to go to college and study law at Leeds University and Oxford.
Starmer practiced human rights law before being appointed chief prosecutor for England and Wales between 2008 and 2013. He was described as a “lefty London lawyer” and was knighted for his role in leading the Crown Prosecution Service.
He entered politics in his 50s and was elected to Parliament in 2015. He agreed to serve under former party leader Jeremy Corbin, despite having frequent arguments with him.
Starmer became Labour’s Brexit spokesperson under Corbyn, who led the party to election defeats in 2017 and 2019. He took over the party leadership in 2020 and had an acrimonious fallout with his former boss, kicking him out of Labour over his stance on antisemitism within the party.
Starmer has consolidated the support of his party by attacking Conservative infighting, restoring discipline in his own party, pushing Labour closer to the political centre and running a steady campaign for the upcoming election.
Starmer was a strong opponent of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, though now says a Labour government would not seek to reverse it. He had to ditch some of Corbyn’s more overtly socialist policies in order to gain strength among the populace.
Recognising the growing clout of the Indian community, Starmer has taken steps to stamp out ‘anti-India’ elements within the party and mend Labour’s testy relationship with India. He has advocated for stronger bilateral ties with India, including the free trade agreement.
Starmer’s understated style has proved a strength for Labour as scandals, policy U-turns and plotting among the Conservatives diminished the governing party’s standing. He lashed out the infighting and misgovernance of Tory rule, particularly on economy, climate change and immigration.
What challenges does Starmer face?
Despite being on course for a massive majority in the parliamentary election, many voters are disenchanted with politicians after years of what became an increasingly chaotic and scandal-ridden Conservative government and what was an often divided Labour opposition, dogged antisemitism accusations. For some, although they wanted the Conservatives out of power, they had not fallen in love with Labour, or with Starmer.
Britain’s tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War Two, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen, and public services are creaking, especially the much cherished National Health Service which has been dogged by strikes. Starmer had to scale back some of Labour’s more ambitious plans, such as its flagship green spending pledges, while he has promised not to raise taxes for “working people”.
Starmer has also promised to scrap the Conservative’s controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but with migration a key electoral issue, he will be under pressure himself to find a solution to stopping tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel from France on small boats.
Starmer has promised to improve relations with the European Union to resolve issues created by Brexit, just as far-right politicians are enjoying success. However, despite opposing Brexit, rejoining the EU is not on the table. He may also have to work with Donald Trump in the United States if he wins November’s presidential election.
(with inputs from agencies)
