So The labour Party won the UK 2024 General election with the predicted landslide but the suggested Conservative annihilation did not occur and the party still exists. (1) But the idiosyncrasies of the UK electoral system were highlighted as Labour won its 172 seat majority with fewer votes than its heavy 2019 defeat under Jeremy Corbyn. (2) Another quirk of the poll was the biggest-ever gap between number of votes and MPs. Labour garnered 34% of the vote but won 63% of the seats in parliament. Hardest hit were The Green Party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Ltd that gained just 1% of the seats in spite of attracting 7% and 14% of votes respectively. All indicators of a political system in need of overhaul. (3)
The white grievance media has also been decrying the “Gaza effect” that has been credited for a record five independent parliamentary candidates beating Labour into second place on pro-Palestine tickets, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. There appeared to be no similar outcry against a highly politicised Jewish vote against the same Labour Party under Corbyn in the 2019 election. (4)
There was a time when a Labour victory would be broadly welcomed by the Afrikan community as traditionally, this is where its votes have been aligned. (5) However, concerns about the continuation of ‘Austerity’, the Conservative’s 14 year ideological war on public services that is linked to over 330,000 excess deaths, has dampened some enthusiasm. (6) More pointedly, reports that “Labour has been haemorrhaging black voters for years”, amid concerns about its “hierarchy of racism” that leaves Black MPs afraid to speak out about Afriphobia in the party. (7) There is also their attempted humiliation of Diane Abbott, now “Mother Of The House” (of Commons) for being the longest serving woman MP, interpreted by many as “another insult to the Black community.” (8)
The Conservatives are questionable as an alternative with Kemi Badenoch, tipped, to become its next leader known for attracting the support of the neo-fascist far right. (9) But then, the likes of Prof. Kehinde Andrews has castigated Badenoch as “Black face of white supremacy’” in an article where he also criticised newly minted Foreign Secretary David Lammy. (10)
In spite of (or even perhaps because of) Labour’s victory, commentators are seeing rightward shift in UK politics, which looks set to continue given Reform Ltd’s growing appeal to young white men. Meanwhile Afrikans continue to feel “politically homeless.” This should compel a broad based analysis of the strategies that have been working for other communities to see if any can amended or adopted – if the collective political will is there to do so. (11)
(1) Toby Helm and Daniel Boffey (08/06/24) From humiliation to annihilation: could this election mean the end of the Tory party as we know it? https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/08/from-humiliation-to-annihilation-could-this-election-mean-the-end-of-the-tory-party-as-we-know-it
(2) John Burn-Murdoch (05/07/24) Will Labour be able to maintain its coalition of contradictions? https://www.ft.com/content/74108618-1638-421a-9a08-dc3073c277fa. Labour received 9.8m votes under Kier Starmer in 2024 compared to 10.3m under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.
(3) Ben Chu (05/07/24) Biggest-ever gap between number of votes and MPs hits Reform and Greens. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c886pl6ldy9o; Russell Jackson (18/01/24) Reform UK Limited: The Political Business Brought to You by Billionaires. https://bylinetimes.com/2024/01/18/reform-uk-limited-the-political-business-brought-to-you-by-billionaires/
(4) Weronika Strzyżyńska and Saman Javed (05/07/24) Muslim voters credited for election of five independent pro-Palestinian MPs. https://hyphenonline.com/2024/07/05/muslim-voters-credited-for-election-of-five-independent-pro-palestinian-mps-shockat-adam-iqbal-mohamed-adnan-hussain-ayoub-khan-uk-election/; Aleem Maqbool (07/07/24) Are deep shifts in Muslim and Jewish voting here to stay? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g37mk7vxlo; Jake Wallis Simons (07/07/24) Why the Muslim Vote campaign is a glimpse into a horrifying future. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/07/07/the-muslim-vote-sectarian-insurgency-gaza-shocked-britain/
(5) Robin Walker & Kike O. Biye (Eds) (1996) 1996 Black Community Report (Vol 1). Amenta Marketing Ltd. p.82. Of those that expressed a preference 86% said Labour, while the other main parties were around 7%.
(6) Grace Blakeley (31/05/24) The Labour Party Is Committing Itself to Austerity. https://jacobin.com/2024/05/uk-labour-austerity-ifs-obr-reeves; Patrick Butler (05/10/22) Over 330,000 excess deaths in Great Britain linked to austerity, finds study. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/05/over-330000-excess-deaths-in-great-britain-linked-to-austerity-finds-study
(7) Kuba Shand-Baptiste (30/05/24) Labour has been haemorrhaging black voters for years – it just didn’t care until now. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/labour-has-been-haemorrhaging-black-voters-for-years-it-just-didnt-care-until-now-3082800; Nadine White (19/06/24) Labour tried to gag Black lawyer who wrote party’s own racism report. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-party-racism-report-martin-forde-starmer-b2564059.html; Serena Barker-Singh (18/05/23) Labour MPs call on Keir Starmer for ‘urgent action’ on racism. https://www.channel4.com/news/labour-mps-call-on-keir-starmer-for-urgent-action-on-racism
(8) Richard Sudan (30/05/24) Labour’s treatment of Diane Abbott: another insult to the Black community. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/opinion/comment/2024/05/30/labours-treatment-of-diane-abbott-another-insult-to-the-black-community/
(9) Katherine McPhillips (19/07/22) Britain First urges supporters to back ‘anti-woke’ candidate Kemi Badenoch. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1642512/britain-first-back-kemi-badenoch-ont
(10) Richard Sudan (02/11/23) ‘Black face of white supremacy.’ https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/features-news/2023/11/02/black-face-of-white-supremacy/
(11) TK Arun (07/0724) A rightward shift in British politics despite Labour’s massive victory. https://thefederal.com/category/opinion/keir-starmer-labours-victory-proof-of-right-shift-in-uk-politics-131801; Serena Smith (02/07/24) How Reform UK won over so many Gen Z men. https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/63008/1/how-reform-uk-wooed-gen-z-men-britain-nigel-farage-general-election; Habiba Katsha (23/04/24) As a black woman, I feel politically homeless. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/black-woman-politically-homeless-3019646
Labour Won: Now what?
1) Is the UK voting system fair? Can it be redeemed?
2) Will anything really change under the Labour government?
3) What can we learn from other communities’ electoral strategies?
4) Do we have the collective political will to do something different?
Our Special Guest:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.