In the 2017 and 2019 general elections Labour under Jeremy Corbyn received 11,386,624 and 10,269,051 votes respectively. In the 2024 general election Labour under Keir Starmer received 9,704,655 votes (33.7%).
Corbyn and his party’s performance in 2019 was lambasted, one of the worst ever. His policies were derided. Keir Starmer removed Corby’s supporters from positions of power in the Labour Party and changed its direction moving more to the centre ground.
With the landslide Labour achieved it is not surprising how it is treated as a great success. However the data shows that overall the success was by Reform and the Liberal Democrats in taking votes from the Conservatives. This left Labour candidates victorious with about the same votes as achieved under Corbyn in 2019. You will find it hard to find an analysis of why Starmer’s Labour party attracted fewer votes than in 2019.
What is the purpose of the election campaign? To win and form the government – a great success for Labour. But how is this victory expected to be achieved? Surely by persuading voters to vote for your party, your policies – here Starmer’s Labour failed miserably. 66% voted not to have Labour policies and fewer who voted for Labour previously, in 2017 & 2019, voted for them this time. Keir Starmer received 5.5% fewer votes than Labour in 2019 and 15% fewer votes than in 2017 (see above). What does that say about his policies? Surely it shows they were a failure, they did not attract more votes. Given the state of the Conservative party it is possible Corbyn’s policies might have made advancements and produced a better result than Starmer’s! We will never know.
This may be seen as a simple analysis but using low turnout, seat targeting, etc. as excuses for getting fewer votes simply avoids looking at the overall picture and what it indicates.
Starmer has withdrawn the whip from 7 Labour MP’s who voted against the government in the vote on the amendment calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped. This action shows Starmer not to be strong but to be a dictatorial bully who cannot accept the smallest measure of democracy, MP’s voting how their constituents want, showing as always that the UK government of all flavors is a Particracy not a Democracy.