UK Election Results: Keir Starmer-led Labour Party wins UK election with record margin: What it means for UK-India ties

The opposition Labour Party has handed a brutal defeat to the ruling Conservatives after 14 years on July 5. The party has comfortably sailed past the majority mark of 326 seats and is set to cross the 400 mark as predicted in the exit polls.

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is now certain to become prime minister in the coming hours, replacing his Conservative Party counterpart, Rishi Sunak, who has presided over one of the worst electoral losses in British political history. 

“We did it,” Sir Starmer told a cheering crowd in central London. “Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest. Four and a half years of work changing the party. This is what it is for: a changed labour party, ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people.” 

Conceding deafeat, outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the British people have “delivered a sobering verdict,” and conceded that the Labour Party has won the election. 

Starmer have adopted a more pro-India stance compared to the party’s previous leadership under Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour party under Starmer has been seeking to rebuild trust and strengthen the strategic partnership between the UK and India if they form the government.  

Campaigning for his party ahead of the snap parliamentary election, called by Sunak, 61-year-old Starmer has tried to woo British-Indians as well as India. He has sought to rebuild the strained ties between his Labour party and the India diaspora. 

The Labour leader has acknowledged past missteps by his party in handling relations with India, especially over its perceived anti-India stance on Kashmir issue by supporting Pakistan. The Labour’s decision had alienated many British Indian voters in the 2019 UK general elections. 

His party has fielded a number of Indian-origin candidates in the 2024 UK election. 

At the India Global Forum (IGF) last year, Starmer had set the tone for his party’s India-UK outlook and had said, “I have a clear message for you all today: this is a changed Labour Party. What my Labour government will seek with India is a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration.” 

In his election manifesto, Labour party pledged to pursue a “new strategic partnership” with India, which even had a clear mention of a free trade agreement (FTA), if handed a mandate to form a Labour-led government in June 4 polls. 

Key sticking points in the FTA negotiations include India’s demand for greater access for its skilled professionals in the UK market and the UK’s push for lower import duties on goods like Scotch whisky and electric vehicles.  

Immigration remains a contentious issue, with both major parties agreeing on the need to restrict it, which could be a sticking point for India's demand for temporary visas for its service sector workforce 

He has been critical of the delays in FTA under the Conservative government and said his party wants to see the agreement cover more areas, including new technologies, the environment, and security. 

The Labour party’s 2024 election manifesto also emphasised on deepening cooperation with India in areas including security, technology, climate change, and education, if voted to power. 

Starmer also visited the Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury during campaigning and sought to reassure British Hindus that there was absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain. He has been reiterating this message over the past few years during the Diwali and Holi celebrations.