SUPER MEH-JORITY
Brits have ‘turned their backs’ on major parties, expert says as 80 per cent did NOT vote for Labour & Sir Keir Starmer
Less than nine million people voted for Sir Keir Starmer's new government
JUST one in five Brits cast a vote for the new Prime Minister with the lowest turnout in decades, a polling expert has revealed.
Scarlett Maguire from JLP polling told The Sun that the country faces an “extraordinary position” where 80 per cent of Brits did not vote for Sir Keir Starmer’s astonishing victory.
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Labour have secured a stomping landslide with 412 seats in Westminster with the Tories sliding to just 121.
But the supermajority, which will effectively give Labour free reign over the Commons, is off the back of just 35 per cent of votes cast.
Scarlett told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots: “We are in a completely extraordinary position. I think we're at a point where our people, the British public, are turning their backs on the mainstream parties.
“Actually, if you look at it, given that we had very low turnout, given that Keir Starmer won this landslide on a low share of the vote relative to the number of seats that he got, actually about 80 per cent of Britain won't have cast a vote for Keir Starmer in the Labour Party. That's an astonishing fact.”
READ MORE ON THE ELECTION
On a historic night:
- Keir Starmer has become Britain's next Prime Minister after Labour got 412 seats amid a brutal Tory wipeout.
- He promised to lead a Labour party grounded in “public service” in his first speech as PM in front of a jubilant crowd at No 10.
- Sir Keir will now appoint his cabinet as he cracks on with his plan for change.
- Rishi Sunak admitted defeat earlier on the steps of Downing Street and apologised to the nation for his party’s failures.
- Tory big beasts including former PM Liz Truss and ex-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps have lost seats after a nightmare night for Conservatives.
- He was followed by Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt, one of eight Cabinet ministers have lost their seats
- Nigel Farage’s Reform party claimed an unprecedented four seats as they grabbed votes from the Tories.
- Tory defector Lee Anderson claimed the first Reform seat, followed by Farage, Richard Tice, and Rupert Lowe.
- Sir Keir's predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, now standing as an independent, also held onto Islington North
- All eyes are now on our new PM with Piers Morgan telling our Never Mind The Ballots election show that Sir Keir MUST deliver real change after the Tory disaster
If the turnout rate stays at around 59.8 per cent, with two more seats yet to be declared, it will be the lowest since 2001.
Nigel Farage’s Reform has won four seats with their share of the national vote translating to a staggering one million votes for each of their new MPs.
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In contrast Sir Ed Davey’s Lib Dems won 3.5 million votes and gained a huge 71 seats thanks to the first past the post system.
The data also shows Brits are turning away from the two major parties - with just 57.6 per cent choosing either Tory or Labour.
Just 9,686,329 people put an X in the box for Labour on Thursday compared to the 12,877,918 who voted for Jeremy Corbyn’s failed attempt in 2017.
Our experts weighed in on a seismic night in politics in a live Never Mind the Ballots election special this morning.
On if Reform could compete with the Conservatives in Westminster, Scarlett said: "I think that's one of the things we started to hear over night.
THE SUN SAYS
WE wake today to a new era after a political earthquake.
First let The Sun congratulate Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the landslide majority voters have given him.
When he addresses the nation later he is likely to have a majority to rival Tony Blair’s. He must use it wisely.
Sir Keir is in an unprecedented position — the winner by a huge margin, yet with the nation still unconvinced by him. He must change that.
His party, meanwhile, must not delude themselves that their triumph represents a national shift to the Left. It does not.
This was mainly a vote AGAINST the divided Tories. Labour must do as its leadership promises and govern from the centre ground.
For 14 years the party opposed the Tories at almost every point — from austerity after the financial crash, through Brexit to Covid and its aftermath.
All the problems they have ceaselessly highlighted are theirs now to solve.
If last night’s exit poll proves accurate the outgoing Tories have been crushed, to their lowest point in history. A host of senior figures have lost their seats.
It is an overwhelming rejection of a party which descended, after its own thumping win in 2019, into self-inflicted scandal, chaos and civil war.
Rishi Sunak, in his two years in No10, did well to right the economic mess he inherited, much of it caused by Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But it was a poisoned chalice and he has paid a predictable price. No one should fault his dedication as a public servant.
Nigel Farage must be congratulated on his forecast win in Clacton and Reform’s projected victories elsewhere.
All those who back smaller Government, low taxes, free markets and freedom for businesses to thrive and create jobs must regroup with a new focus and united purpose — to challenge Labour and be ready to win again in five years.
Our two big hopes for Labour rest on the NHS, and the reforms Wes Streeting aims to spearhead, and the promised planning revolution to ease the pressure of our soaring population on a housing stock millions of homes short.
We remain worried about taxes surging ever higher, the vast welfare bill entrenched, legal and illegal immigration, the threat to Brexit, defence, woke teaching in schools, votes for children and the ruinous dash to Net Zero.
The Sun supported a change of Government yesterday and said Sir Keir deserved his chance.
While we wish Labour luck, we will scrutinise every decision and hold their feet to the fire.
This is a patriotic newspaper. We want Britain, and the Government of the day, to succeed.
Stable, moderate Government is vital for our readers and the foreign investors crucial to our economy.
Labour say better times are ahead.
Now they must prove it.
"There's going to be four of them and they are quite big personalities in Parliament.
"The Tory leadership contest might well be very drawn out. You might even see some people go over sooner."
After winning in Clacton, Farage said: "We're coming for Labour, be in no doubt about that."
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