By Satyaki Chakraborty
Britain’s politics witnessed a shakeout leaning towards far right as the pro-Trump Nikel Farage’s Reform Party UK trounced both the entrenched Tories and the Labour Party in the local council elections held on Thursday signalling the arrival of new leader Nikel Farage who triumphantly announced after the results were out on Friday that’ there are no Tories, We are the opposition. We will form the next government”.
In Britain’s centuries old two party system represented by the Conservatives and the Labour, Farage has thrown up a real challenge eroding the traditional support base of the Conservatives and taking away the lone seat from Labour where by election was held for Parliament. Reform UK which openly calls itself anti-immigrant and supports Trump’s policies on deportation won control of at least six city councils, one mayoralty — all by defeating the Tories in their strongholds.
The impact of the local elections outcome went far beyond the limited electoral field, it was a reflection of the national political mood about 100 days after the second takeover of the U.S. Presidency by Trump. BBC’s quick opinion polls recorded on Friday gave Farage’s Reform Party 30 per cent as against the ruling Labour Party’s 20 per cent and the Conservatives 15 per cent. The Labour has been losing in the opinion polls since taking over power with big margin in July last year. The Conservatives have not improved, the shift in votes has taken place to Reform UK Party, both from the Conservatives and the Labour.
According to the British media reports, in some counties in the Midlands and the north of England, Reform won more than 60% of the votes, capitalising on disillusionment with the Labour government, and with the Tories as an opposition as well as their record running the country from 2010 to 2024. Reform campaigned principally on anti-immigrant sentiment, which Farage had long sought to cultivate. The Liberal Democrats also made more modest inroads in some councils, mostly at the expense of the Conservatives.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted the results were “disappointing” and said he would draw lessons from the setback, adding: “We need to go faster on the change that people want to see.”. This gives indication that the ruling Labour Party will soon opt for far tighter immigration policy on the plea that this is what people in Britain now want. Starmer has already alienated the ruling Labour leadership and the government from the key trade unions in Britain. The left wing members who are still in the Labour Party are apprehensive that Starmer may turn further right to compete with Farage in protecting the Labour Party’s electoral base.
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch is facing her worst political period since taking over as the new leader of the Conservative Party. She said the result showed that the country was “fed up” with the Labour government but “still not yet ready to trust us”. Earlier there were some strong supporters of Trump in the Conservative Party but after Trump gave his full support to Farage and Elon Musk sent US$ 100 million as contribution to the fund of Reform UK Party, the Conservatives are not talking much about Trump’s policies. The traditional Conservative base is shifting to Farage’s Party but the leadership is failing to prevent the slide. Taking into account the present state of despair in the Tory leadership, Farage said the latest local elections result marks the beginning of the end of the Conservative Party.
British Communist Party daily Morning Star in its editorial said on Saturday Reform’s victory in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election, as well as its formidable performance in council and mayoral contests, shows the momentum in British politics remains with the hard right.
For one thing, Tory losses appear more dramatic than Labour’s because they held more of the council seats being contested. Both parties’ votes plunged on the last time round, and early analysis suggested both on course to lose more than half the seats they were defending.
For another, Labour and the Tories are losing votes for the same reason. Both are identified with a discredited and distrusted political Establishment, the editorial noted.
According to the daily, Keir Starmer’s transformation of the Labour Party into one almost indistinguishable from the Tories on austerity, war or laissez-faire economics, at a time of grotesque inequality and industrial decline, was unpopular. The Labour supporters are also looking for alternative and many of them are drifting to far right programme of Farage.
Interestingly, the latest political shift in electoral choice in Britain’s local elections and the Parliament by poll is against the latest trend in Europe. In France, anti-Trump sentiment has strengthened the hands of centrist President Emanuel Macron. The far right Trump supporter Le Pen and her Party RN are lying low. In Germany also, Frederick Merz of the CDU/CSU is taking over as the Chancellor of Germany next week as the head of a three party coalition. The right wing AFD has been termed as an extremist party by the government. Anti-Trump sentiments in Germany are prevailing and that is helping Chancellor elect Merz. In such backdrop, the latest electoral developments in Britain needs thorough analysis by the ruling Labour Party and the trade unions. (IPA Service)
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