The last time a majority government was elected to replace another was back in 1997…
Was it a Comprehensive win?
Labour’s England vote remained static, off a 59.8% turnout. In reality only 1 in 5 backed Labour, some 3.2 million fewer than Corbyn’s result in 2019, meaning 80% of Brits did not vote for Starmer.
The lowest vote share than any Prime Minister since 1832, only the fourth Labour Leader to be elected with a parliamentary majority, a Comprehensive cabinet with Kier the only Grammar School kid and the third PM in King Charles’ reign to date.
New blood abounds, 334 new Members of Parliament to be sworn in, female representation hits 40% and 1 in 7 MPs are from ethnic backgrounds.
At 61 years, Starmer is the oldest person to become Prime Minister since James Callaghan back in 1976. Labour has a hefty 63% of the total MPs, from just a third of the votes cast.
As a nation, many people voted negatively, the best of bad bunch, not the genuine enthusiasm we saw for Blair’s New Labour and certainly not a mandate for left wing radicalism. This result is being labelled The Loveless Landslide.
Tory Tears & Tantrums
Conservatism has been the ideology of choice, more often than not. The looks of Tory disbelief on election night appeared laughable, what did they expect? A Conservative. Braverman waded in ‘we must restore hope’ against a backdrop of the vengeance vote, Partygate and Trussonomics. Indeed the highlight for many was seeing the first previous Prime Minister lose their seat at a General Election in 90 years.
Warwickshire’s Nadhim Zahawi said ‘voters where right to vote his party out’ but concluded that ‘serious talent remains’.
With only 121 MPs it could prove difficult to split the Tory Party too many ways. With Reform having potentially cost Rishi 80 seats, a Dafferns Business Advisory ‘Now-Where-How’ session is clearly required, any incoming Conservative leader must address the most basic of voter’s concerns.
Bishop’s Move – Securimomics
We sought a mandate to grow the economy says Ms Reeves
Back in 1997, Brown enjoyed a golden inheritance from Ken Clarke seeing growth rates of 3/4%. Inflation has fallen, but with food up 30% and energy set to rise again the Chancellor cannot afford to underplay the size of the challenges ahead.
With the UK having reached the limits of traditional tax and spend policies to solve problems, The Labour Party are set to deploy a new model of securimomics preparing the way for private money to deliver growth. An additional 0.5% growth could give the Treasury an extra £30 billion to play with.
As Mr Hunt was removed from No11 by ‘Bishop’s Move’ to make way for the first female Chancellor (once the British U14 Girls Chess Champion), he leaves an economy in better health from where it was post-pandemic. It is said that Ms Reeves partied hard at Oxford to Destiny’s Child, let’s hope it is more ‘A New Way to Walk’ rather than ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’.
Simon Cossey is Dafferns’ Business Development Consultant and part of our Strategic Advisory team. Any political views in this post are his own.
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