Times are bad for Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer. After the disastrous loss in the 2019 parliamentary elections – the Labor Party’s worst result since 1935 – he took office in April of last year to change the situation. The first elections under his leadership show that Labor’s problems in England are far from over.
Labor lost the House of Commons seat in the midterm elections to Hartlepool, a city in northeast England and a Labor stronghold since 1974. This has nothing to do with the balance of power in Westminster, as it is only one seat in Parliament 650. But the loss shows that Labor does not He still has no answer to the Conservative Party’s lead.
In England, Scotland and Wales, regional and local elections were held on Thursday for a variety of governing bodies, ranging from provincial parliaments to town offices and city councils. The first results of the regional elections, which were affected only on Friday and Saturday, were not encouraging for the Labor Party.
In the Scottish Parliamentary elections, the Scottish National Party led by Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon performed well based on preliminary results. She herself said that she was sure to win the election again. There is even a possibility that you will get an absolute majority.
Sturgeon, the voter, promised to hold a second independence referendum. The better its result, the stronger its argument for conducting the referendum. Results are not expected until Saturday.
The visibly frustrated Starmer took responsibility for the “bitter disappointment” on Friday afternoon. He admitted that his party had lost the confidence of the voter, and promised to do everything in its power to restore that confidence. How will he do that left in the middle. Nevertheless, he promised a “strong vision.”
Starmer said it wasn’t time for backlash at the party, but the two broke out anyway. Under the Starmer, the Labor Party has moved into the center. The left wing immediately called for a return to the socialist program of Starmer’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Supporters of the moderate track advised Starmer not to worry about party unity but to spend his energy talking to voters.
It is exceptional for a ruling party to run in the midterm elections. The change of power in Hartlepool was only the third time in fifty years that a standing government had won a seat in the meantime.
Conservatives undoubtedly benefited from the government’s successful vaccination campaign. But that’s not all, according to analysts. A large portion of the Conservative profits in Hartlepool are due to voters who previously voted for the Brexit party. Labor sent a candidate in the race against Brexit, while 70 percent of the city voted in favor of leaving the European Union.
Recent scandals involving Johnson, who allegedly paid for the renovation of his Downing Street apartment with money from party donors, do not appear to be detrimental to the Conservatives. Johnson is popular in central and northern England for his rebellion against London and his promise to reinforce the “forgotten” areas outside of the capital.
In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan is hoping for a second term. In opinion polls, he was ahead of Conservative Party candidate Shawn Bailey. In Wales, which has been in Labor hands for decades, the first results indicated a Labor victory.
A copy of this article also appeared in NRC Handelsblad on May 8, 2021
A copy of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of May 8, 2021
