Head of Public Affairs, Craig Lawton, reviews the general election results and looks at what to expect in the coming weeks. 12^th July 2024

Once all the votes were counted it was clear, as the polls had suggested, that UK Labour had won a sizeable majority in the 2024 General Election.

Number of MPs v Number of votes

With 412 Labour MPs, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has a clear majority of 174 in the House of Commons. In comparison, the Conservatives- who for the time being are still led by Rishi Sunak- won just 121 seats. This sees the Conservatives become the official opposition after the Lib Dems came third with 72 MPs. In comparison, the SNP now have just nine MPs, Reform won five, and both the Greens and Plaid Cymru each have four MPs. Whilst comparisons will be made to Labour’s 1997 landslide victory, there are significant differences between Tony Blair and Keir Starmer’s victories. Labour in 1997 won over 43% of the vote with 13.5 million people putting a cross next to their candidates.

This time round however, Labour won just under 34% of the vote share with 9.7 million votes. Arguably the biggest losers in this election were Reform UK who saw their 4.1 million votes win just 5 seats in the House of Commons. In comparison the Conservatives have 121 MPs from 6.8 million votes. It could well be that we see parties like the Liberal Democrats, Reform, and the Green Party gaining significantly more attention from the media over the next few months based on their share of the vote. This could ensure them increased focus on their policies and proposals, however within Westminster they could struggle to achieve significant cut-through with the new government and its sizeable majority.

Policy announcements

Once the result was confirmed, focus began to shift to Keir Starmer’s Cabinet appointments and which policies they will implement first. New Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has already begun to build on some of Labour’s manifesto commitments by committing to:

• Growing the economy; keeping taxes, inflation and mortgages low
• Not increasing National Insurance and VAT
• Lifting the ban on onshore wind in England
• Building on brownfield and greybelt to meet housing targets
• Reforming the planning system to deliver infrastructure needs
• Establishing a new growth delivery unit

What else to expect

Labour’s manifesto set out commitments to “accelerate Net Zero” through a number of renewable energy actions, including:

• Quadrupling offshore wind
• Tripling solar
• Doubling onshore wind
• Scaling up nuclear
• Setting up Great British Energy
• A green power alliance
• A windfall tax on oil and gas giants

Labour also pledged to improve grid connectivity through:

• Working with industry to upgrade the grid
• Reducing pressure by deploying more power locally

Engagement with key Cabinet members will be important- such as new Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner who is the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government- we can expect further announcements from them.

The King’s Speech

However, to understand what the immediate priorities will be from government over the next year, we should look to the State Opening of Parliament.

Scheduled for Wednesday 17^th July, this will see the King’s Speech which will set out the UK Government’s legislative agenda for the coming year. Whilst we may not get the granular detail that some will hope from on each policy, we can expect this to set out the key policies, laws, and commitments that Keir Starmer and his government will look to achieve over the next 12 months.

Summer recess: meeting new MPs and engaging with government

Just one week after the King’s Speech, on 23^rd July, Parliament formally enters recess. This will see newly elected MPs return to their constituencies to carry out local meetings, surgeries, and visits with constituents, businesses, and councillors. This is a crucial time to start building relationships with new MPs and further solidifying connections with MPs that have been re-elected. Despite Labour’s strong majority, MPs from other parties should certainly not be ignored.

They too play an important role in holding the government to account and proposing different policies and priorities to those favoured by government ministers. Throughout recess the Prime Minister, his Cabinet, and more junior ministers will however continue to develop government policies and plans throughout the summer months. This will likely see them meeting with businesses, industry representatives, organisations, think-tanks and trade unions in Whitehall and around across the UK.

Opportunities

Whether looking to collaborate with the UK Government or hold it to account, the next few months remain as critical for organisations and policy leaders as they are for Keir Starmer and his newly appointed government.

Get in touch with Grasshopper today to discuss how we can support you to be on the front foot and make your campaign a success.