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What does Starmer’s victory mean for the left?

Green and independent candidates inflicted a series of blows against the Labour Party

What does Starmer’s victory mean for the left?
Keir Starmer outside Downing Street. | HENRY NICHOLLS / Contributor / Getty
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Keir Starmer’s election victory has given Labour a firm grip on power – but a closer look at the results shows a party facing stiff opposition from the left. Many candidates standing on anti-austerity and pro-Palestine platforms have achieved impressive results, which could spark a wider political movement.

Across most of Great Britain, support for the Labour Party did not actually increase. It is thanks only to the UK’s First Past the Post electoral system that such a big landslide was possible.

With two seats still left to declare, Labour has won 9.6 million votes – around 33.7% of all votes cast. This is far less than the 12.8 million votes (40%) the party secured in 2017, when Jeremy Corbyn was leader.