Opinion | Labour landslide: Big victory, bigger challenges, many Indian faces

London: A new dawn has broken behind the clouds and on a very wet, very British day for The Labour Party, which returns to the House of Commons with a seismic landslide of over 400 seats.

Victory has never felt sweeter or more personal to me as a Labour Party councillor in opposition in London Borough of Hillingdon, where we have managed to squeeze in another Labour MP in Danny Beales. I am constantly receiving personal congratulatory messages. We were just recovering from the heat of local and Mayoral elections and beginning to relax that the General Elections were announced. This has meant a gruelling campaign, mentally as well as physically not only for the candidates but for activists, councillors and supporters. The relentless six week, at times, felt like never-ending, as we pounded streets and knocked on thousands of doors, leafletted and telephoned members of the public.

Meanwhile, New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, at the podium outside No 10 Downing Street today, makes it look all so seamless. He appears composed, in control, prepared and ready to serve the country. There are huge expectations of him and huge challenges that he has acknowledged throughout a very disciplined campaign. When he starts to speak, I feel overwhelmed with multiple emotions. Not sure if it is out of sheer exhaustion or happiness at the result or a mix of both.

“Starmer is having his own Modi moment, isn’t it?” quips a fellow party colleague as we analyse the ongoings of an incredible night which has kept many of us awake. I wonder what he means by that, and I realise it’s not just the numbers. It’s more than that. It’s a strategic, well-thought-out move to win the country by appealing to the majority of the common, White British population and it seems to have worked.

I am reminded of one of my door step conversations with a ward resident during a canvass session, a frail elderly White lady who felt (Rishi) Sunak was a decent man, trying to do a decent thing but was likely to lose.” There were many undercurrents to what she said and left unsaid.

Perhaps that was what was captured in Starmer’s first speech as the PM. “I want to thank the outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. His achievement as the first British-Asian Prime Minister of our country, the extra effort that it will have required should not be underestimated by anyone. We pay tribute to that today and we also recognise the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership”.

Labour’s landslide comes in the backdrop of 14 years of Conservative “chaos”, particularly exacerbated in the last term, further helped by the rise in support for Reform, the former Brexit Party, which has taken a large chunk of Tory voters who were hugely upset with their own party’s shenanigans. There have been pockets where Gaza concerns played out, affecting Labour’s votes, voter turn outs and even some upsets like loss of Jonathan Ashworth, shadow defence secretary.

The new Parliament feels personal on another level too. A record number of Indian-origin MPs, our own desis, have been elected to it on Labour Party tickets. Besides Slough MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill and Feltham and Heston MP Seema Malhotra, who are likely to find ministerial positions in the Starmer government according to their previous Shadow cabinet portfolios, there are many new entrants from across the country. Gurinder Singh Josan from Smethwick, Jas Athwal from Ilford South, Sonia Kumar from Dudley, Warinder Juss from Wolverhampton West, Baggy Shanker from Derby South, Harpreet Uppal from Huddersfield, Satvir Kaur from Southampton West, Kirith Entwhistle from Bolton North East, Jeevun Sandher from Loughborough, Sureena Brackenridge from Wolverhampton NE and Willenhall.

Tan, who has directly felt the Gaza pressure despite supporting the cause and had to issue messages against divisiveness in the communities, on his victory thanked his constituents for re-electing him. Tan posted on X , “Huge honour to be re-elected by the good people of Slough as their MP. They voted for change, unity and progress under a UK Labour government-which is what I will work had to deliver for them. Immensely grateful to all whose efforts and teamwork made it possible.”

Seema, who also saw a drop in vote share on account of Gaza and Reform, in her message said, “Thank you to the people of Feltham and Heston for re-electing me as the MP for Feltham and Heston. Tonight’s was vote for hope, optimism and renewal. I’m grateful to all who played a part in our positive campaign for change and for unity. It will be an honour and a privilege to work together under a Labour Government for investment we need in our community and our country.”

After thanking his supporters and constituents, Gurinder went to the local gurdwara to pay his respects soon after his victory. He has had a formidable presence in the Labour Party as a member of the National Executive committee as well as through Sikhs For Labour.

With a very long night that has kept me awake, a heart full of gratitude and hope, eyes full of dream and sleep, I put away “Tony Blair: A Journey”, the book I had picked up for a second read when elections were announced on an equally wet day outside 10 Downing Street, my thoughts drift to Sunak. I feel for him.

Blair’s words ring true: The first rule in politics is that there are no rules, at least not in the sense of inevitable defeats or inevitable victories. If you have the right policy and the right strategy, you always have a chance of winning. Without them, you can lose no matter how certain the victory seems.
(The author is a freelance journalist and Labour Party councillor)