Labour has won the British election. Now it has to seize the moment

WHEN something is anticipated, it can be easy to miss its significance. The Labour Party’s landslide victory in the British general election on July 4 was expected, but it is nonetheless momentous. In 2019, Labour limped to its worst result in almost a century; Boris Johnson won a victory that was meant to keep him in power for a decade. Under the leadership of Keir Starmer, Labour has swept to power with a projected majority of 170, just shy of the one Tony Blair achieved in 1997. The Conservatives have deservedly been battered: their expected tally of 130 seats is worse than any in their modern history.

This change of management is a good result for Britain. Out goes a Tory government that had turned chaos into an art form. In comes a party that has focused ruthlessly on improving its electoral appeal. A country that was one of the first in the West to succumb to populist radicalism, by voting for Brexit in 2016, has opted decisively for a serious-minded centrist who pledges stability. North of the border, too, a collapse in the vote for the Scottish National Party marks a welcome turn away from the ideological pursuit of independence and towards a more pragmatic form of government.

If anyone concludes that Britain is back to normal, however, they should think again. The electorate has become extraordinarily volatile. This has been one of the biggest swings in a single Parliament; the very idea of safe seats is increasingly questionable. Voters are disenchanted with establishment politicians. According to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey, a record high of 45 per cent “almost never” trust governments to put the nation’s interests first, up from 34 per cent in 2019.