UK’s Conservative Party prepares to accept defeat

As the UK’s opposition Labour Party outlines its plans for the next general election, the governing Conservative Party seems to be slowly accepting the likelihood of defeat in the upcoming election on July 4, 2024. British voters are once again being courted by both parties’ pledges and promises. The Conservatives propose more tax cuts and indirect taxation, familiar territory for them, while Labour leader Keir Starmer offers a vision encapsulated by the EU anthem, “Ode to Joy.” Starmer’s metaphor suggests that his Labour Party represents the best hope for the future of the UK.

Starmer, who voted to remain in the EU in 2016, has ruled out rejoining the single market or the customs union and reinstating free movement if Labour wins power. Brexit remains a divisive issue among UK voters. Instead, Starmer promises to pursue closer relations with key EU countries like Germany, France, and Poland.

Labour, in opposition since 2010, appears eager and ready, frequently revealing parts of its plans for governance. Recent polls have consistently placed Labour as much as 20 points ahead of the Conservatives. Labour’s pledges include working for economic stability, improving the National Health Service (NHS), creating a border security command to address irregular immigration, establishing a publicly owned clean energy company, and recruiting more police officers and teachers. Starmer emphasizes that “there is no quick fix to the mess that the Tories have made of this country,” advocating instead for a decade of “national renewal.”

As a voter who believes the UK desperately needs a serious new government, I fear the country requires more than just a change in leadership. The UK needs a “new deal” to reverse its decline, which stems from weak leadership, poor finances, and the impacts of Brexit.

Labour needs to be bold and prepare to address the challenges it will inherit. Even Brexiteers have recently admitted that post-Brexit Britain is struggling with issues like “poor international trade” and “weak leadership,” as highlighted by the Chandler Good Government Index report. The UK has dropped from 10th to 11th place in the index, partly due to its 28th rank in international trade, a consequence of its altered relationship with the EU.

The index’s survey revealed that 56 percent of UK businesses are struggling to trade under the Brexit rules introduced at the end of 2022. The Conservatives seem to believe that the costs of overcoming trade barriers should be borne by the public. Experts at the Bank of England have stated that Brexit is making British food more expensive, a reality everyone in the country feels daily at the supermarket tills.

The impact extends beyond shopping baskets. Medicines for the NHS are now more expensive and harder to obtain in a health service already starved of cash and staff after years of Conservative-imposed austerity. New import charges on products like fish, sausages, and cheese, implemented at the end of last month, add bureaucracy costs of up to £145 ($184) per shipment. The situation is no better for large businesses, particularly the automotive industry, whose supply chains have been severely disrupted by Brexit after decades of effective integration.

“Taking back control” has meant that the UK and EU have diverged, necessitating more bureaucracy, paperwork, and border clearances for buying and selling. These factors combined make everything more expensive.

Given this situation, it is unfortunate that Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continues to delay calling for elections, denying the nation an immediate restart. Any incoming government will need time to adjust, and Starmer indeed faces a huge challenge. The UK needs more than just a change of government; it needs a transformation similar to the “New Deal” adopted in the US between 1933 and 1938 under President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s New Deal provided support to farmers, the unemployed, youth, and the elderly.

The UK’s new deal may not need to be as extensive, or even like Tony Blair’s “New Labour” deal in 1998, which was funded by a windfall tax on privatized utility companies and sought to reduce unemployment through training, subsidized employment, and voluntary work. However, it is not an exaggeration to claim that the UK needs a revolution to rebuild what years of poor Conservative leadership have broken, especially trust in the political system and the ability of government departments to deliver and be accountable to citizens. The country needs a reboot to rediscover its belief in the education sector, the NHS, the police, and the broken justice system.

A new government led by Starmer, if Labour wins, should focus on instilling belief through commitments to training and retraining, protecting and supporting citizens, regenerating, updating, and effectively leveling up, not just ticking boxes on consultants’ spreadsheets.

All these initiatives require funding, and the country is already overtaxed. The Conservatives have likely squandered all reserves, so Labour, like all parties, cannot hint at raising taxes at this time. However, a good start to the new deal would be for the incoming government to show courage, leadership, and decency. It must restore belief and certainty among the people after years of division. Above all, it needs to bring back hope, which has been lacking among the electorate on both the right and the left in an increasingly conflict-ridden and changing world.

A new government led by the Labour Party under Starmer might be the key to restoring some of Britain’s “Cool Britannia,” which has been lost under the Conservatives. The UK’s post-Brexit passport ranking has, like its reputation, slipped behind countries like Italy, France, and Spain in terms of the access it provides.

The UK needs more than just a change of government. It requires a comprehensive new deal to address the various challenges it faces. Labour, under Starmer’s leadership, has the potential to bring about this transformation, but it will require bold actions and a commitment to restoring trust and hope among the British people.