As the opinion polls previously hinted, Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party has faced a debacle in the recently-held British Parliamentary Elections! This time, the Labour Party has registered a historic landslide victory, winning 412 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons! With this, the 14-year-long rule of the Tories (who have won just 121 seats) has come to an end.
Earlier, opinion polls claimed that Britons were frustrated by their country's fragile post-Brexit economy, rising costs of living for the common people, the widespread deterioration of the renowned National Health Service (NHS), immigration problems and recent increase in crime! The anti-incumbency factor, too, has played an important role in the defeat of the Conservative Party. Political analysts are of the opinion that the Tories' infighting over the past five years and appointment of three Prime Ministers in the last few years have also affected the performance of the Conservatives in 2024.
Indian-origin Sunak had become the Prime Minister in October 2022 after 49 days of Mary Elizabeth 'Liz' Truss' turbulent Prime Ministership. The majority of the Britons thought that Sunak would be able to bring stability to the National Politics after the turbulent leadership of his predecessors. The British Economy recovered somewhat under his leadership, as the Sunak Administration managed to reduce the rate of inflation from 11% to 2%. However, the Conservative Government failed to tackle the post-Brexit economic crisis, to absorb the shock of the COVID-19 Pandemic and to overcome the country's predicament in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine War.
Apart from rising prices of essential commodities, increasing tariffs and housing problems created troubles for the common people living in Britain. Also, the Tory Government's Immigration Policy has been at the centre of controversy for quite some time. Although the Parliamentary Elections are scheduled to be held by 2025, Sunak preponed the election in a possible attempt to put the Oppositions under pressure. However, the decision has backfired as the Labour Party has easily surpassed the required 326-seat mark!
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer, the newly-elected Prime Minister of Britain, promised during the election campaign that he would focus mainly on the necessary economic reforms. He assured his countrymen that the Labour Government would not increase the income tax for employees, as well as the basic, higher or additional amount of National Insurance Contributions or VAT. Sir Keir further claimed that special attention should be paid to the National Health Service in order to ease people's suffering. According to the Labour leader, his government would arrange incentives for health workers to work outside working hours. He also announced that the new government would bin Sunak's Immigration Policy!
Delivering a storming victory speech on July 5 (2024) morning, Sir Keir declared that his country "gets its future back after 14 years (of a Conservative Party Government)". He said: "We did it. You campaigned for it, fought for it, voted for it, and now it has arrived. And it feels good, to be honest." The Prime Minister-elect stressed: "(But) a mandate like this comes with a great responsibility… Today, we start the next chapter… begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal, and start to rebuild our country."
Meanwhile, analysts have opined that the Labour Party would face a huge challenge after playing the role of Opposition for 14 years. It would not be easy to fulfil all the promises made by the Labour leaders during the election campaign in the current situation.
The future of Britain depends on how the Labour Party will navigate this difficult path...
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