According to partial results and an exit poll conducted for the BBC and two other broadcasters, Labour was projected to secure approximately 405 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons. In contrast, the Conservatives were expected to win around 154 seats.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, 61, denied repeatedly that he was actively blocking the path of extreme leftist candidates from running in the July 4 snap elections. Instead, he claimed he sought “the highest quality candidates” to represent Labour. Leftist Faiza Shaheen was banned from standing for Labour after liking social media posts that belittled antisemitism. Leftist Diane Abbott said her party was culling left-wing candidates, saying she was barred from standing for Labour in her district.
This is what victory means to Labour in Glasgow. pic.twitter.com/eewo0JQziI
— James Cook (@BBCJamesCook) July 5, 2024
It was part of Starmer’s “Ming vase strategy,” attributed to veteran Labour politician Roy Jenkins, who on the eve of Labor’s 1997 landslide said PM Tony Blair was “carrying a priceless Ming vase across a highly polished floor.”
Starmer has been carrying the Ming vase over a four-year transformation, during which he distanced the party from its disastrous extreme-left, antisemitic leader Jeremy Corbyn and his ilk. Starmer bravely addressed the antisemitism in his party and shifted its economic and national security policies toward the classic center-left position that made Blair such a success.
It paid off big time. Early projections on Thursday evening suggested a major shift in British politics. The Labour Party appeared poised for a significant electoral victory, potentially ending the Conservative Party’s 14-year reign. This outcome, if confirmed, would mark a strong rejection of the incumbent government and signal a new political direction for Britain.
The exit poll projections are as follows:
Labour – 410
Conservatives – 131
Liberal Democrats – 61
Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK – 13
Scottish National Party – 10 (down from 40)
Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru – 4
Greens – 2
Others – 19
Labour needs 326 seats for an absolute parliamentary majority, and it looks like they have it.
‘This is just the first step in something that is going to stun you all’
? Nigel Farage has been elected in Clacton, declaring in his victory speech that he is ‘coming for Labour’. pic.twitter.com/9KYVkoTEXB
— GB News (@GBNEWS) July 5, 2024
This marks the end of the 14-year rule of the Conservative government, and the revival of a disciplined, centrist “establishment Labour,” which can be likened to a right-wing Democrat becoming president of the United States.
And it all happened on the Fourth of July.
WINDS OF CORBYN
In October 2020, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released a report on antisemitism within the Labour Party. Keir Starmer, as party leader, accepted the findings in full and apologized to the Jewish community on behalf of Labour. The report highlighted a party culture that failed to adequately address antisemitism and, in some cases, appeared to tolerate it. It also concluded that Labour had violated equality laws in its handling of antisemitism complaints.
Starmer described the findings as “hard to read” and called it “a day of shame for the Labour Party.” In response, Jeremy Corbyn, Starmer’s predecessor, claimed the scale of antisemitism had been exaggerated for political reasons. This statement led to Corbyn’s suspension from the party.
Starmer’s efforts to reform Labour’s approach to antisemitism bore fruit in February 2023, when the EHRC ended its monitoring of the party.
The 2024 general election saw a significant development in Corbyn’s political career. Having been expelled from Labour, he ran as an independent candidate for Islington North, a seat he had held since 1983. Despite facing opposition from an official Labour candidate, Corbyn managed to retain his seat. This marked the first time Corbyn had run against the party he once led, following his suspension and subsequent expulsion over his response to antisemitism allegations during his leadership from 2015 to 2020.
