2024 UK General Election | Exit polls predict landslide Labour victory: What’s next for Keir Starmer?

No political party in the United Kingdom has won an election by a majority of more than 210 seats since 1832. That record will remain unbroken — exit polls have predicted that the Labour Party will storm back to power with 410 seats, a majority of 170 seats.

This could reduce the Conservative Party to rubble. The exit polls predict that the Tories will manage only 131 seats, a woeful performance compared to the 344 they bagged in 2019.

Keir Starmer, the dour, methodical and understated Labour leader, will be Britain’s new prime minister. Starmer must recognise that his party was thrust to power by a jaded electorate, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, against the backdrop of a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions, and a fraying social fabric.

Starmer knows he will have to revitalise the economy and, thereby, the country if his party aims to retain power when elections come knocking the next time around.

Keir Starmer’s agenda as PM

The Labour Party’s official website clearly outlines its mission to get the United Kingdom back on its feet.

“For too long, Britain has been held back by governments that, because they lack a relentless focus on long-term ends, are buffeted about by events … Government is at its best when working in partnership with business, trade unions, civil society, faith groups, and communities. But without a shared project those partnerships barely get off the ground,” the mission statement reads.

“Mission-driven government means raising our sights as a nation and focusing on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that provide a driving sense of purpose for the country,” it adds.

The five goals of the LabourParty

1. Kickstart economic growth:  To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 — with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country, making everyone, not just a few, better off.

2. Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero.

3, Take back our streets: Halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels.

4. Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, ensure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain.

5. Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it, with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers, in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

The significance of Labour’s projected victory

In 1924, the Conservative Party led by Stanley Baldwin walloped Labour — led by the incumbent PM, Ramsey MacDonald — by winning 412 seats for a majority of 210. Since then, not a single party has crossed the 200-seat majority mark. Tony Blair led the Labour Party to victory by 179 seats in 1997. This remains the largest majority for any party in 100 years.

If Labour leader Keir Starmer secures a “supermajority” of over 179 seats in the upcoming election, as the exit polls suggest, it would mark a historic turnaround from the party’s previous record defeat. Such a landslide victory would allow Starmer to easily push through controversial legislation, as he would have a commanding parliamentary majority.

It also reinforces the fact that voters have expressed their confidence in his party in a resounding manner.

However, maintaining unity within such a broad coalition of constituencies — from the most pro-immigration to the most anti-immigration — could prove challenging for Starmer. Additionally, the larger the majority, the greater the potential for backbench rebellions, as many Labour MPs may have won their seats by narrower margins.

In the event of a Conservative wipeout, Starmer could enjoy an extended political honeymoon, with the Tories forced to undergo a painful rebranding process and leadership change. He also hopes to capitalise on the opportunity to enact substantive reforms and investment after 14 years of Conservative rule.