Keir Starmer: The British prime minister who had virtually no margin for error
In Britain’s last general election, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party secured a historic victory, but its foundations were incredibly fragile
By Sanjay Dubey
Yet another chapter has been added to the political turmoil gripping Britain over the past few years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who led the Labour Party to a historic victory just two years ago, has resigned from office. He is the sixth British prime minister in the past ten years to leave before completing a full term. The country is expected to have a new prime minister in the coming weeks or months. However, given the current political situation, Britain could even end up getting yet another prime minister before the next general election in 2029.
When Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a massive victory in the 2024 general election, he was hailed as the party’s savior. Before this, Labour had last won a national election in 2005, and in 2019, it had suffered its worst defeat since 1935. But Starmer’s victory was not what it seemed on the surface. Political analysts described it as a “loveless landslide”—a victory devoid of genuine public affection or trust.
In that 2024 election, Labour won 411 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons—a commanding 63 percent. Yet, the party secured just 33 percent of the popular vote. In terms of absolute numbers, this vote count was actually lower than what Labour received during its historic defeat in 2019. Because of this, analysts argued that Starmer’s landslide was less a mandate for Labour and more a fierce public backlash against the incumbent Conservative (Tory) government. Voters wanted change at any cost; consequently, traditional Tory supporters either switched to parties like Reform UK or stayed home entirely. As a result, the Tories collapsed to just 23 percent of the vote and 121 seats, handing Keir Starmer an incredibly massive victory.