Behind the UK’s Labour landslide

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s desperate gamble of calling an early election could not stave off the widely anticipated rise of the centre-Left Labour Party led by Keir Starmer. Labour pulled off a landslide win that relegated Sunak’s Conservative Party to its worst ever performance in history. The UK was once known for its political stability within Europe, but the past 14 years of Tory rule have seen the country lurching from one crisis to another, especially after the disastrous 2016 vote to leave the EU. Years of austerity and pressure on stretched public services were compounded by the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis, while Britain’s stature plummeted both on the European and global stages following Brexit. Over the past two years, the Tories appeared unable to choose a leader with a firm grip on power who could find a way out of the multiple crises confronting the country. In the end, Sunak seemed more like a captain trying to bring ashore a sinking ship with a mutiny on board. On the other hand, Starmer quietly rebuilt Labour after his Left-wing predecessor Jeremy Corbyn led the party to its worst performance in more than 80 years in the last election, in 2019.

While Labour won more than 410 seats in the 650-member House of Commons, the turnout, at around 60%, was the lowest in more than two decades; the party had the backing of only 34% of voters. The populist Reform UK party of Nigel Farage won four seats but picked up segments of the Right-wing Conservative vote across Britain. However, Labour’s victory was also in marked contrast to recent gains made by the far-Right in several European countries, including the strong showing by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the first round of France’s parliamentary election. Starmer will now have to focus on a range of internal and external challenges, ranging from reviving the British economy, addressing the rising cost of living and fixing public services, especially the National Health Service (NHS), to the heated debate over immigration, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and enhancing the UK’s standing both as a strategic and economic player. Left-wing and Muslim voters, in particular, have punished Labour for its stance on Israel. Despite Labour’s pledge to make Brexit work, this will continue to be an albatross around the neck of the new government, especially at a time when some European countries are growing weary of the costs of backing Ukraine in its war against Russia. As Starmer himself put it, his task will be anything but easy.

Labour’s comeback has significant implications for Indian-origin Britishers and India. The party long counted the Indian community among its core voters, till in recent years, the community became the “swing vote”, with preferences among older voters significantly shifting towards the Tories even as the younger lot favoured Labour. Starmer managed to steer Labour away from the Corbyn days, when the party lost the diaspora’s favour with its hardline approach towards India on many issues, especially human rights and Kashmir. Labour fielded a high number of British Indians, and the community could see around 25 members enter Parliament. Labour’s messaging has also been positive on closing a free trade agreement with India, something that could strike the right chord in New Delhi following the numerous delays witnessed in the waning days of the Tory government. A stronger UK will enable India to have a better bridge to Europe, both in economic and strategic terms, and work jointly on a range of challenges.