Labour now has five years to save Britain from the far-right

The public were clearly desperate for change, with that champion of ideologically driven and downright damaging government, Liz Truss, losing her seat to Labour despite having a majority of 26,000 at the last election. We can be thankful her ridiculous attempt to defend herself with Trumpian conspiracy theory nonsense about the “deep state” failed.

However, amid the celebrations, Labour has to realise that if, in five years' time, that mood of desperation has not been dispelled, they may face a similar fate – and that could lead the UK down a dangerous path towards the far-right. Truss’s seat is now a three-way marginal between the Conservatives, Labour and Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK.

Empty promises of nationalists

The SNP were also engulfed by the red wave. They may tell themselves that people backed Labour just to get the Tories out, but their record in government is almost equally as bad. They may not have crashed the economy, but their mismanagement of the NHS has been dire and they have turned wasting public money into an art form. John Swinney and co now have two years to make Scotland a better place to live or face the public’s wrath. We’re unconvinced they know where to even start.

The empty promises of nationalists of the Scottish and Brexiteer varieties have been found. But now Starmer’s Labour needs to quickly demonstrate that pragmatic, compassionate government can make a real difference to people’s lives. If they fail, Farage and the hard-to-far right are waiting in the wings for a volatile electorate to make a terrible mistake.

This means the new government must deliver tangible results – particularly in ‘left-behind’ areas – over the next five years. Their main priorities are simple: grow the economy, fix the NHS, and deal with overly high levels of immigration. They do need to “stop the boats” – expect high-profile arrests of people-smugglers soon – but they must also avoid falling into the trap the Conservatives created for themselves.

House-building boom

The Tories’ language on immigration became increasingly tough even as it soared to record levels. They were essentially campaigning against their own policy, which was, quite sensibly, to allow hundreds of thousands of people to come to the UK to work, because employers desperately needed them, and foreign students to bring billions of pounds to this country. However, too much reliance on overseas workers creates its own problems, such as pressure on housing and public services, so the UK workforce should become more self-sufficient.

One way to stimulate the economy would also address a problem that blights the lives of many. With young people despairing of ever getting on the property ladder, there is a real need for more homes. Speeding up the planning process could help spark a house-building boom. This is also necessary to facilitate the renewable energy revolution, which is being hampered by out-dated bureaucracy.

The UK Government needs to be agile if it is to make people demonstrably better off before the next election. A decent job, a reasonable standard of living, and a place to live – that’s not too much to ask in one of the world's richest countries. Deliver that, and Labour could be in power for many years to come. Fail, and Farage’s prediction he could be Prime Minister in 2029 may prove no idle boast.