Finally, Labour’s Test To Deliver

There has been a change of guards with a record mandate at London’s 10 Downing Street after last Thursday’s general election for the 650-member House of Commons. In Keir Starmer, 61, will the voters in the United Kingdom get the strong leader they had hoped for on election eve? Having bounced back after 14 years and with a massive majority in parliament, Britons expect the Labour government to deliver a performance that doesn’t disappoint them. As he led the 190-year-old Conservative Party to its worst defeat in more than a century, Rishi Sunak, Starmer’s immediate predecessor, managed to retain his parliamentary seat. But as many as eight cabinet ministers and a former prime minister lost their seats. The July 4 election was called by the UK’s first non-Christian Prime Minister, Sunak, 44, who headed the government for 21 months. Pre-poll surveys had indicated a landslide for Labour amid Conservative collapse. 

Voters were not impressed by the Reform Party’s pledge to become a balancing factor to the generally prevailing duopoly extolled by especially the two largest parties. It obtained four seats, including the one for its leader Nigel Farage who triumphed in his eighth attempt. The Reform’s hope of becoming a kingmaker seemed to have unsettled voters who feared the emergence of a government wrecker rather than a political balancer. Instead, the Liberal Democrats fared better than many analysts had expected, with 71 seats. Interestingly, the Liberal Democrats have won twice the number of seats with about half the popular votes it obtained in 2019. Hence some people are debating suggestions for ditching the first-past-the-post electoral system, given the 38.8 per cent popular vote that enabled the Labour obtain nearly two-thirds majority at 410-plus seats as against the Conservatives’ more than 120 on the strength of 23.7 per cent popular vote.

Disconcerting 

Within a few days after Sunak ended months of speculation when he would opt for a snap poll, there was a mass exodus of 77 Conservative MPs. That did not bode well for the Tories’ electoral prospects. Voters took this as the ruling party’s own assessment of its falling prospects. At times, desperate politicians enter destructive doors. Against the background of opinions polls and analysts’ comments all suggesting a calamitous result, Sunak exhibited a frantic frame of mind. A big majority could tempt the new prime minister to plunge into a pool of tax hikes. Labour has the advantage of taking a hard line on taxation just enough to get the intended results on time to face the next polls four, or mandatorily, five years later.  He could stretch forward his agenda of higher taxes because of the advantage underscored by the huge majority and hopes of mending things by the next election eve. 

He needs to take note of Europe veering right. As Europe has been increasingly turning to the right, the United States, too, shows significant signs of tilting to a similar direction. In the course of the election campaign itself, universities turned to banning protestors. Muslims are being denied visa extensions, pro-Palestine protestors were expelled from academic institutions and many are being deported to their countries. The dominant class in the country considers Muslims as the source of many of the country’s ills. For that matter, the deportations did not even spare Ukrainians who had arrived as refugees. With coercion and financial incentives, large numbers of immigrants were deported to the Congo.

However, the poll ploy, including Sunak’s last-minute exhortation to “Buy British”, did not buy enough votes to give him a full term at 10 Downing Street. In the process, the UK’s international image has suffered. Its credibility as a major power has also declined. The challenges ahead could unsettle the Labour, too. A group of 13 Hindu organisations released a manifesto carrying 32 demands, including right to pray in temples in educational institutions, placement of a Hindu text in all institutes, equal representation, easier visa processing for Hindu priests and their dependents. Britain has a population of one million Hindus.

A Labour leader apologised for comparing Khalistanis with the Hamas in Gaza. Khalistani movement presses for a separate independent state in India’s Punjab state. Of note is Labour’s desire to recognise Palestine as a separate state. Those are issues that will be raised with greater frequency and intensified persistence in the ensuing times. The primary question is whether the economy will turn around quickly enough to allay fear of bleak prospects. Hoping high does not cost but when it does not cooperate with reality, the non-party public gets frustrated.

The long Winter of Discontent in 1978-79 led to the country’s first woman prime minister to step down. Margaret Thatcher skippered the Tory ship to three consecutive victories in general elections. A decade later, public mood had changed. Discontent triggered poll tax riots of 1990 that shook the country down. Faced with a challenge to her leadership, Thatcher quit office in favour of fellow Conservative John Major. Political pundits and media commentators were surprised when Major led the Tories to their fourth consecutive election triumph, including Thatcher’s hattrick. 

Course ahead

Victory in itself is sweet. But the price entailed, when achieved more on account of the predecessor’s failures than by its own policies enthusing voters, will be usurious. People want quick results in tumultuous times, which is easier demanded than delivered.  A week before the election day, “We want our country back” slogan was chanted in London’s streets jampacked with crowds that were disgusted with the “mess” and “identity crisis” immigrants had created. Badly battered, the Tories have their own woes to address, reeling as they are in the aftermath of a devastating defeat. Some critics are hastily predicting that it would be long time before the Conservatives returned to the ruling benches. 

Recovering the lost ground demands a long length to complete. A clear-cut and effective roadmap can regain the votes they lost last week. The ball is firmly in the new occupant’s court at 10 Downing Street. Starmer already has his plate full. He has to address it fairly and quickly with programmes that restore public confidence, especially that of the youth. Else, the younger generation’s patience can run thin and lead people to create storms to uncharted course. 

(Professor Kharel specialises in political communication.)