Labour’s landslide victory in Thursday’s U.K. election gives the party a “wide but thin” mandate, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik, who says the new government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has to work hard to solidify its gains “if it’s not going to be a temporary win.” She also discusses her new piece, “Pro-Palestine votes aren’t 'sectarian'. Dismissing them would be a dangerous mistake for Labour.”
Discount it all you want, but Labour’s win is much shakier than it appears on the topline. The most notable set of figures is this:
In 2019: Corbyn’s Labour Party lost the election with 32.1% of the vote in an election where 67.3% of eligible voters cast a ballot
In 2024: Starmer’s Labour Party won the election with 33.7% of the vote in an election where 59.9% of eligible voters cast a ballot
Labour has a stark advantage in Westminster as a result and they should use it to enact and pursue policy consistent with their philosophy and promises. However, you’d be crazy not to see that the votes cast absolutely don’t paint a picture of a mandate.
All I’m really saying is that the right doesn’t sit around fretting and wringing their hands when they get handed a victory. They put the pedal to the metal, future or consequences or reputation be damned. As far as they’re concerned, victory only comes in a single flavor, and they’re going to run with it as hard as they can. That’s partly why we only ever seem to ratchet right, imo. The left should take a few pages from that book and dive headlong into moving fast and unapologetically getting results.
All good points, imo.