Change of cycle in Downing Street. The Labour Party Keir Starmer They have secured a landslide absolute majority, ending a 14-year era of a Conservative government that was already showing clear signs of fatigue. The United Kingdom, one of the first countries in the West to succumb to populist radicalism by voting in favour of a Brexit that turned out to be chaotic in 2016, is now opting for a serious centrist who promises stability.
All the polls predicted the victory of the red tide. But, although more than expected, it is still transcendental. In the last elections in 2019, the Labour Party achieved its worst result since 1935. Even the districts of the Red Wall from the north of England they were abandoned by an eccentric Boris Johnson with his promise to carry out the exit from the EU.
But Starmer – the son of a working-class family who later achieved a knighthood –, thanks to his good work in his pre-politics stage as a lawyer, distanced himself from the radicalism of his predecessor, Jeremy Corby, and yesterday won a majority similar to the epic one achieved in 1997 by Tony Blair. At the time of going to press, the total count had not finished. But Labour had 412 seats (out of 650 at stake) against 121 for the Tories, a real humiliation in the illustrious history of the Conservative Party.
The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, are back to being the third-largest party after nearly a decade of obscurity, when voters punished them severely for their participation in the coalition government with the Conservatives from 2010 to 2015. Meanwhile, the once-powerful Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered a virtual annihilation. There is no longer any chance of a new secession referendum.
Starmer’s victory in the UK bucks the trend of centre-left decline in many other Western economies. Growing numbers of voters in countries such as France, Italy and Germany have embraced the far right in recent elections. In France, Starmer’s party has been the most successful in the past few years. Marine Le Pen is one step away from taking power in the parliamentary elections. However, this trend has also left its mark in Westminster, with the populist Nigel Farage who has managed to get into the House of Commons (on his eighth attempt) with his group Reform UK.
Tremendously jealous of his private life, Starmer arrived at Downing Street yesterday accompanied only by his wife Victoria, not wanting his two teenage children, whom he does not even mention by name, to appear in the spotlight so that they could continue to remain anonymous.
With such an overwhelming majority, he could have adopted a slightly triumphalist tone. Instead, in his first speech in front of the mythical black door of Number 10, he remained cautious. “With respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service to the people,” he said.
Starmer’s election manifesto was simple: “Change.” No more additions. Because this was precisely what defined this date with the ballot box. Labour is aware that they do not inspire. The British simply wanted to get rid of a Conservative Party that, after five prime ministers, had made chaos a constant.
Populist Farage managed to win votes from Labour in some working-class constituencies, where the message that immigrants take jobs from British people and overwhelm public services continues to resonate. Similarly, many other constituencies with high Muslim populations where Labour had traditionally won, however, now opted for pro-Palestine independent candidates.
The first thing Starmer did was to announce his first Cabinet, to which he called the closest circle of people who have accompanied him in the opposition, with Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and Rachel Reeves as finance minister, the first woman to head the British Treasury. Meanwhile, David Lammy will be responsible for Foreign Affairs, John Healey will head Defence, Yvette Cooper The former Labour leader will take over as Home Secretary and the Labour campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden, will lead the Cabinet Office (comparable to the Presidency) as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Ed Miliband will take over the energy portfolio. Rayner, from the left wing, was already Starmer’s deputy.