​Laboured change: On the U.K. general election result

In his first speech after leading the Labour Party to its best ever performance in the U.K. general election, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was clear about the task before him: to “begin the work of change” for national renewal and rebuilding the country. With a more than generous mandate — 412 seats in the 650-member House, Mr. Starmer will be virtually unchallenged inside Parliament for his agenda on “wealth creation for the working classes”, taxing higher incomes, banning fossil fuel car sales by 2030 and building a new Border control agency. It should be equally clear that more than the Labour win, this is a Conservative loss. After its 14-year run in power, five Prime Ministers and considerable turmoil, the British voter clearly chose to punish the Conservatives led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for compounded errors: from the mishandling of Brexit and the economic crisis, a failure to support public services, especially health and schooling, to a series of scandals from ‘Partygate’, pornography in Parliament and the Post Office scandal. The rising cost of living was a major campaign issue, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impact of the Ukraine war and post-Brexit shortages, although Mr. Sunak said that the economy had turned a corner more recently. Immigration has been another big issue. While Mr. Starmer has disavowed Mr. Sunak’s plans to send “small boat arrivals” or illegal immigrants demanding asylum to countries such as Rwanda while they are processed, he will be under pressure to do more to cut down the numbers of migrants. The remarkable performance of ultra-right wing leader Nigel Farage, who won after losing seven times, and his party, Reform UK, that won more than 14% of the vote, albeit only four seats, will be a worry on this account, with its openly xenophobic rhetoric.

For many in India, the defeat of Mr. Sunak will feel somewhat personal, given their pride in his being the first British Prime Minister of Asian origin, with Indian ancestry — a bond he affirmed as well. Despite attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Sunak, the India-U.K. FTA could not be taken across the finish line. All eyes will be on how quickly Mr. Starmer’s government, that criticised the delay, would be able to do so, as its priorities will be in shoring up the economy. The India-UK Roadmap 2030, signed in 2021, will no doubt be tweaked. An early visit to India by new U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has already been outlooked by the Labour leadership, and it will be important for both countries which have completed their elections, to hit the floor running and frame their priorities for future ties.