As Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street following a tumultuous period as Prime Minister, his successor Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping for a smoother journey as he prepares to navigate the challenges ahead. One thing is for certain, he will have the backing of a huge majority in the House of Commons to push through his agenda. Here are some top takeaways from a seismic UK General Election.
A marginal vote share gain turns into big seat wins for Labour
Not quite as big a majority as Tony Blair achieved in New Labour’s record-breaking landslide victory in 1997, but close enough for Keir Starmer and co.
An increase of 210-plus parliamentary seats sees Labour return to Government after a decade and half out of power. However, it wasn’t a significant shift in vote that handed Labour the keys to power as they only gained 2% compared to the previous general election in 2019. The first-past-the-post electoral system came in clutch for Labour this time but this result will be sure to encourage further calls for electoral reform.
Tory majority wiped out as 11 Cabinet Ministers lose their seats
If ‘things can only get better’ for Labour then they can’t get much worse for the Conservatives. An election to forget for a party that is often considered an election winning machine.
A 20% nose dive in the national vote share, compared to 2019 when Boris Johnson won a sizable majority, means the Tories have lost 250 seats across the UK and look set for a lengthy spell on the opposition benches. Among those seat losses included 11 sitting Cabinet Ministers.
Bang for your buck works out for the Lib Dems
The Liberal Democrats have taken a record number of seats (71) for the party in Westminster, even more than when Nick Clegg was the leader in 2010 and brought the party into a coalition government with David Cameron and the Conservatives.
They have done this despite having just 12% of the national vote. For comparison, they won 62 seats in the 2010 General Election with almost double of the national vote share (22%).
Nigel Farage finally becomes an MP at the eight attempt
Nigel Farage will be celebrating following a general election for the first time as a candidate as he took a seat in Westminster for the constituency of Clacton.
The former UKIP, Brexit and now Reform UK party leader will be joined by three fellow Reform UK MPs. The party polled 14.3% of the national vote, more than the Lib Dems, but this has only translated into four seats.
Scotland goes red as the SNP collapse
The Scottish National Party lost a whopping 38 seats in Scotland leaving the party with just nine seats. The SNP’s loss was Labour’s gain as they swept to victory across Scotland.
This heavy loss for the SNP will be extremely damaging to the cause of Scottish Independence as their claim to this mandate is now severely weakened.
Sinn Féin are the largest party in Northern Ireland
Sinn Féin, which does not take its seats in the House of Commons, is now the largest party in Northern Ireland at council, assembly and at Westminster levels.
A disappointing day at the ballot box for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) saw them drop from eight seats to five, including the high-profile loss of Ian Paisley’s seat in North Antrim which his father had first won in 1970.
Interesting times indeed!
Dylan
Dylan Morley is a senior account executive with the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs team at Fuzion Communications.
