Dr. Nsungbemo Ezung
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland saw the return of the Left political narrative to the center stage of British’s political life as the left-leaning Labour Party led by Keir Starmer secured a landslide victory in the latest general election ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule (2010-2024). The 14 years Conservative reign of Britain was eventful, including the successful implementation of the famous/infamous Brexit, the party producing two youngest Prime Ministers in the country’s history (David Cameron and Rishi Sunak, who also is the first ever British-Asian and Hindu to become Prime Minister), two women Prime Ministers (Theresa May and Liz Truss) and shortest-serving Prime Minster lasting just 49 days (Liz Truss, who eventually failed to retain her parliamentary seat). It was however the Conservative Party’s inability to provide stable leadership to the country, having as many as five different prime ministers, which became one of the decisive factors that caused the party to suffer one of the worst electoral defeats in its history. This is in contrast with the preceding 13 years of Labour Party’s rule (1997-2010) where the country saw only two premiers at the helm of powers of the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy.
With the economically and socially left (or center-left) political party assuming power, calling “Change” as its theme for the general election, would the country now abandon the great conservative values that not only define Britain but which have made the United Kingdom a great kingdom/nation for the last one millennia. The 133-page Labour Party Manifesto for the UK General Election 2024 entitled “Change” had no mention of “Religion” while it mentioned the word “LGBT” (and its related issues) only once affirming the party’s commitment to “protect LGBT+”. While calling the need for Change and embracing the promise of modernity, the Labour party appeared to be mindful of the great British heritage, and the emerging antithetical social forces that are threatening that very heritage. In contrast, the Conservative Party is categorical in its manifesto to “give same-sex couples the opportunity to enjoy the institution of marriage”, meaning to recognize the same-gender union as a formal marriage. In other words, the Conservative Party of UK supports redefining marriage, which amounts to endorsing the disastrous path towards diluting the most sacred human institution.
When it comes to social issues and their related challenges, it appears like the Conservative Party is more liberal than the Labours. The British people should not forget that if there is one thing that makes Britain a Great Britain and one of the greatest nations on earth, it is the conservative foundation upon which the nation was built. Marriage, as a union of one man and one woman, family, society and Christianity, as an agent to promote and protect religious freedom are some of the inspiring conservative values that served as a founding pillar of Great Britain and, the world at large has learn those values from them, and the abandonment of those conservative values would mean taking the path of unmaking Britain.
The result of the UK’s general election also marked the growing influence of Indian origins (Non-Resident Indians – NRIs) in the UK and beyond. A record number of 26 candidates of Indian origins representing both the two major political parties of the UK are elected and set to become members of the British Parliament. This is a reflection of the growing influence of Indians not just in the UK but around the world. If there is a reason why the world respects India and the world increasingly feels the importance of India in the comity of nations, it is not necessarily because of the kind of leadership India produced at home or what India as a nation is impacting in the world. Rather it is because of the performance and positive impact that the Indian diasporas have wherever they go or live. Indians and Indian-origins representing different professions including statesmen, scientists, economists and technocrats are among the finest that the world admires.
The United Kingdom has just got an Indian-origin completed serving his term as Prime Minister and the United States has another Indian-origin serving as its vice-president are just a few to mention among the many enormous impacts the Indians are having in the world today. Acknowledging this growing Indian influence, the Labour Party through its manifesto calls for the need to have a “strategic partnership with India” and the need to have with India “free trade agreement” and “co-operation in areas like security, education, technology and climate change”. It remains to be seen how the Indian government will read this historic opportunity that is offered by the growing Indian influence (through Indian Origins) in the world, particularly in the West including Europe, the UK and the United States.
The Left revival in the UK should mean a new direction in the UK-Europe relation. Although rejoining the European Union (EU) seems unlikely in the near future, with the formal divorcement between the UK and Europe in place through Brexit, Britain under a new pro-Europe Prime Minister would likely change not only the UK’s relation with Europe but the overall UK’s Europe policy. In one particular section of the Labour Party’s manifesto entitled “Britain Reconnected”, the new ruling dispensation reaffirmed that “Britain will remain outside of the EU” and rejected the possibility of returning to the “single market, the customs unions, or freedom of movement” with the rest of Europe. Nevertheless, the Labour Party promised, if voted to power, to “reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties with Europe…” By “Britain Reconnected”, the Labour Party could be of the opinion that there was a kind of disconnect in the past between the UK and Europe thereby isolating the UK from the mainstream social, economic and political life of Europe and the need to break that disconnect, and acknowledged healthy relationship with Europe as an indispensable factor for the progress of UK.
A strong and healthy Europe-UK-US relationship/partnership is always a pre-requisite condition for peace and stability not only in the West but in the world in the post-Cold War era. The post-Cold War world order is a unipolar world/pole dominated and controlled by the West i.e. Europe-UK-US political narrative. Yet the West itself is today already crippled with many problems and challenges that are all their own makings. The return of war in Europe in the form of the Russia-Ukraine War, the problem of illegal immigration and the dilution of human and social values where if the West did not find a solution to these problems at the earliest possible time, then these problems could lead to the ultimate downfall of the great western civilization and bringing chaos to the world around. Can the new Labour Government in the UK be a solution to the problems of the West and an agent for ushering in peace and stability in the world?