Change was needed, and we have it – big time.
Labours record breaking victory has given us the first Labour prime minister in fourteen years, and just the fourth elected Labour PM since the war.
Given the fact that Keir Starmer inherited a car crash of a defeat from Jermey Corbyn, he will no doubt be unfazed by the shitfest he is walking into at Downing Street. However, as the old saying goes, time waits for no man (or woman) and he, Rachel Reeves, and their team will have to hit the ground running, and start to implement ‘change’ as a matter of urgency.
That is crucial not just in order to restore confidence in politics and parliamentary democracy – but also because of the support Reform enjoyed yesterday.
Nigel Farage will be a more challenging opponent than the Tories, at least until they elect a new leader, and if Labour doesn’t deliver a successful programme for the country, then a shift to the populist right cannot be ruled out,
That, for me, was the downside from an otherwise positive night – the relatively large number of votes Reform gained.
Good luck to Keir and his new government. And the very best wishes to the Conservative Party in electing a new leader who can offer all those Reform – and let us not forget – Lib Dem voters who abandoned the Tories on Thursday.
Labour are the big winners today. Farage and Reform are the canary in the coal mine.
