By far, the most dramatic conclusion to be drawn from the result of the UK’s general election is that the British political landscape has made a significant move towards the left.
During the 14 years that the Conservatives were in power, the main dynamic in Westminster was between the more centrist Conservative MPs who, while espousing free market economics, were in favour of remaining within the European Union and more hard-right Brexit-supporting politicians, such as former prime minister Liz Truss, who wanted to pursue a more Thatcherite agenda, such as cutting taxes and reducing the size of the welfare state.
The outcome of the 2024 general election, therefore, which has resulted in Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer winning a landslide majority, signifies a clean break with the fractious politics of the Conservative era with the election of arguably the most left-wing government Britain has had since Harold Wilson was prime minister in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Wilson era is primarily remembered for the punitive taxes imposed on the wealthy, with some high earners paying tax rates in excess of 90%. Even so, the Wilson government’s commitment to its lavish tax-and-spend approach nearly brought the UK to the brink of financial disaster. Its profligate policies ultimately resulted in Britain having to approach the IMF for an emergency bailout in 1976.
Tax hikes?
The emergence of the avowedly socialist Starmer as the UK’s next prime minister has inevitably raised concerns that the new government will indulge in similarly risky tax and spend policies, with the outgoing Conservative administration of Rishi Sunak warning that the incoming government intends to raise taxes even higher in the UK, thereby risking the country’s gradual economic recovery from the twin financial shocks of the global COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The widely regarded Institute for Fiscal Studies warned recently that, with the UK registering its highest debt level for more than 60 years, the incoming Labour government would likely have to raise taxes even higher to meet its spending commitments to the UK’s ailing public services.
Nor is it just the fact that Starmer’s left-of-centre Labour Party achieved a massive landslide victory that signifies a significant move towards the left in British politics. While the Conservatives suffered their most devastating defeat in decades, it is the fact that other left-leaning political parties, such as the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, also performed well, with the Liberal Democrats winning their highest total of seats in a century while the Greens registered their largest showing of MPs in the next parliament.
Consequently, more than two-thirds of the new MPs taking their seats in the new parliament will be of a left-of-centre persuasion, which will enable Starmer and his allies to pursue their left-wing agenda without meeting any serious threat from opposition MPs. Following Boris Johnson’s dramatic victory in 2019, the division between the right and left in parliament was about 50-50.
JEREMY CORBYN WINS HIS SEAT GOES ON CHANNEL 4 AND SPEAKS ABOUT THE GAZA GENOCIDE AND A PALESTINIAN STATE
Watch Emily Maitlis body language@jeremycorbyn pic.twitter.com/rlXAPmnT1a
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) July 5, 2024
Importance of Gaza
Another example of the dramatic changes taking place to Britain’s political landscape can be seen in the fact that several Labour MPs, including Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth, lost their seats to pro-Palestinian independent candidates campaigning on the Gaza issue, where they want to see the implementation of a ceasefire and a ban on UK arms exports to Israel.
A total of four pro-Palestinian candidates won the election at the expense of their Labour rivals. In addition, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn won re-election in his north London constituency.
The devastating defeat suffered by the Conservatives, which saw them lose two-thirds of their seats, will also limit the ability of whoever is chosen to replace Sunak to lead an effective opposition to the ruling Labour government. Sunak announced he was standing down as Conservative leader immediately after the election result. Speaking outside No 10, Mr Sunak addressed the nation, saying, “I am sorry”, adding: “I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility”.
With so few seats and with deep divisions continuing within the Conservative ranks over their future outlook, they will struggle to mount a serious challenge to the left-wing agenda likely to be pursued under the Starmer government.
