It is likely clear to most that British Liberalism has a complicated relationship with the Labour Party. We seemingly rely on their electoral success for our own; the periods in which we appear to gain the most seats seem to coincide with periods during which Labour is at its most electable. To me, this makes a significant degree of sense.
It’s obvious now that the 2019 Election was a disaster for British Progressivism. Labour’s vote share and Parliamentary representation collapsed and we, while increasing our vote, ended up with a net loss of one seat.
It seems to be that when Centre-Right voters are concerned of a far-left Labour party gaining power in the UK, they flee into the comfort of the Conservatives; seeing them as the most likely party to keep Labour out of Downing Street. Of course, to many, this is possibly old news; however, what to do about this?With the election of Kier Starmer as Labour leader, some are concerned that we may see an exodus of centre-left members and voters going back to the Labour party. Now that Momentum is less able to bully and purge them from the Labour ranks. We will inevitably see some return to Labour or some of our swing voters throw their vote behind Labour to dislodge the Tories from power after a decade of their seemingly heartless rule.