Wow! What a difference a day makes.
My brain is buzzing with what these election results means for our country, for the future of UK politics, and for how our new Labour Government will need to govern. Everything feels different.
Politics has never felt more fragile. The voter coalition that has delivered this historic victory, is unstable and likely unrepeatable. Politics will need to continue to be a major driver over decision making for Labour in Government. A second term is not a given. Moving quickly, demonstrating change and delivering for a wide range of different people will be critical.
The traditional post war political landscape is over, we now operate in a more febrile, and more volatile environment in which voter allegiances are hard won and easily lost. Our politics is more open, we have seen digital democratisation through the fragmentation of our media. Independents with profile, a good team and strategy can win.
There are a whole swathe of seats in which Reform is in second place. This will impact both, the future of the Conservative party and the emergence of a new centre right political landscape as well as the future of the Labour offer to a large group of disillusioned former Labour voters.
The Greens are building themselves up as a political force and in this election successfully made the leap from local government to our national parliament. Providing a challenge to Labour in Government provides them a good opportunity to build a broader political base for the future.
The Liberal Democrats are back. They have been rehabilitated. They have an opportunity and platform from which to challenge Labour at the next election. This provides another dynamic for the Labour party to effectively manage.
Labour has to win back the Muslim vote. How will the independent MPs elected around the issues of Gaza/Palestine organise? Are they aligned on issues beyond how we should respond to the conflict in the Middle East, are they a political force in the making?
Working through this, and what looks to be ‘the new normal’ for British politics is an enormous challenge. It will need the best political and strategy brains to keep a focus on all these moving parts to put Labour in a place to win again.
The team that delivered this victory, that built this fragile coalition will now need to pour all their focus into Governing.
But there is an ongoing challenge to manage the Labour party, reshape it to provide support in Government and keep a firm grip of political strategy for next election.
There has been a huge brain drain out of the Labour Party and wider Labour movement and some reshaping of the people, the structures and the management of the party will need to take place
The work for the party doesn’t stop. We may have turned the page, we now need to write the next chapter
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