After cycling through three prime ministers in two years, the U.K.’s new leader looks likely to stick around longer than a lettuce head.
What happened: With all the votes tallied, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won the U.K. legislative election with 412 out of a possible 650 parliamentary seats. It’s the largest win since 1832, when Canada was still a colony, and Joe Biden was just a Senator (kidding).
- Victory was the result of party consolidation and a rebuke of the past 14 years of Conservative governance, which left many voters economically and spiritually spent.
Why it matters: Starmer promises to bring stability, and with a massive majority, he will be empowered to pass legislation without much resistance. His goals include cutting healthcare backlogs, reinforcing border security, and establishing a publicly owned green energy firm.
Yes, but: Labour’s landslide victory is a little misleading. The party only won a third of the popular vote, and smaller parties made substantial gains. In particular, the far-right Reform UK nabbed 4 million votes and won a seat for its uber-controversial leader, Nigel Farage.
In Canada: There’s hope that new leadership could improve Canada—U.K. relations, which have been a little awkward as the two sides have tried to get a new post-Brexit trade deal done. The U.K. paused talks earlier this year due to disputes over dairy tariffs.—QH