This election has brought an end to a catastrophic 14 year Conservative rule that has decimated our public services and pushed millions of people into poverty. Make no mistake, the continued resistance and push back on Conservative policies from people like you is part of the reason for their colossal decline in this election. Thank you.
But perhaps like me, you’re feeling a mixed response to a Labour majority government. Whilst the end of the Conservative reign is truly welcome, we’re seeing some of the least ambitious politics from the Labour party in recent history and many of their positions on climate policy are weak. The Labour Party won on a platform largely made up of xenophobia, an attack on LGBTQ+ rights, and increased policing. As a trans person I cannot celebrate an incoming Prime Minister who is an outright transphobe and it feels impossible to feel represented by a government failing to call for a ceasefire in Palestine.
However, I believe an election doesn’t give us our leader, it gives us our opponent. A new Prime Minister is simply a new pressure point and under a Labour government there are far more opportunities to achieve change, than under a Conservative one.
This election has given me hope in other ways. We finally have a new government committed to no new oil and gas production, and during the election we saw a swell of people pushing for ambitious policies around climate, nature and democracy. The Green Party has 4 new MPs and 5 pro-Palestine independent candidates were voted in, in place of Labour MPs.
Whilst the Labour government has won a majority, the voter turnout was the lowest it’s been in 20 years and many of the seats were won by a lower number of votes than expected. This shows a lack of faith in Labour and their politics from the get go — something that will be impossible for them to ignore. As the new government finds its feet, this is a huge opportunity and we can and must push harder for the ambition we need.
Very soon we will be launching a new, ambitious campaign laying out what we think the UK government should be focusing on to tackle the cost of living and the climate crisis.
We must not ignore that this election also saw a terrifying rise in support for far right politics. Across the channel our neighbors in France are facing the terrifying prospect of a far right government for the first time since the second World War, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Trump could return as President in the US. As we move forward, we cannot be intimidated or isolated by these hateful politics. A better climate and thriving communities can and will be won only by uniting together to fight for collective peace, justice and liberation for everyone.
Thank you to all our supporters for everything you have done to help bring climate and justice to the forefront of this election. There are never perfect wins, but today’s government has many more things that are better about it than the one we had yesterday.
Let’s take a moment today to celebrate what we have achieved together, and we will be in touch soon to continue the fight.
Whatever your feelings about today’s results, remember that in our victories, in our despair and in our fight — we’re all in this together.