GE2024 conclusion: Starmer faces a mountain to climb, and a mission of ‘change’

On 4 July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer delivered what was perceived as a historic win for Labour. The party’s accumulation of 412 seats against a pithy 121 seats for the Conservatives – a 174-seat majority – certainly suggests a radical overhaul from the 2019 general election. Many in the UK look forward to a period of greater political stability following the turbulence that that set in after 14 years of Tory-led government. However, it may be argued that the new Labour government is not as strong in Parliament as initially perceived.

A month on […] they are becoming more immediately aware of just how difficult achieving change will be

In his campaign, the new Prime Minister centred a call to action among the British public around one word: ‘change’. A month on, with a new government elected and a new cabinet in place, they are becoming more immediately aware of just how difficult achieving change will be. As PM, Starmer has been quick to criticise the proclaimed “mountain of mess” the conservatives have left in key areas such as healthcare, defence spending, and environmental protection.

These are issues, however, that the party now has the responsibility of solving. The final figures for the results of this year’s election showed further remarkable results, with the Liberal Democrats getting 13% of the vote and a record 72 seats in Parliament, and Reform UK achieving 15% of the vote with four seats. Both parties further haemorrhaged the support from the Conservatives’ more traditional bases, creating a drastic remapping of the political divisions of the country.

The rise in said diverging political factions poses a greater threat to the Labour government in the coming years

However, it can also be concluded that the rise in said diverging political factions poses a greater threat to the Labour government in the coming years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed with Starmer’s position in his final Downing Street speech on 5 July, stating, “you have sent a clear signal that the government of this country must change”, in response to the election results that signalled a fundamental shift away from support of Conservative leadership in Britain.

Hot on the heels of the new Labour government’s entry into office, the idea of legacy is highly prescient in the minds of those in power. With a British public that is expectant of the change in the country’s fortunes that Starmer promised to deliver, only time will tell whether promises made in the past six weeks get kept over the next five years.

Labour can expect pointed scrutiny and pressure to deliver, particularly in areas of special interest for opposition parties

At the same time, opposition to the Labour government will rebuild, getting stronger and more unified. This will be an issue that Labour has to increasingly contend with. This is especially true for areas such as immigration and environmental protection, target areas for Reform UK and the Green Party. Therefore, Labour can expect pointed scrutiny and pressure to deliver, particularly in areas of special interest for opposition parties.

In spite of all this, Starmer has appeared relatively at ease in the role, travelling to Washington for the 75th anniversary of the NATO summit only days after the election result, in what was his first foreign visit as PM. With so much of Starmer’s agenda focusing on rectifying and rebuilding anew from the problems the previous government caused, it will be a sizeable task for Labour to institute desired improvements, while still keeping the interests of the public as their top priority.