UK Elections Surprise The Labour Party

The UK elections had a few surprises as one of the top officials of the Labour Party was ousted by a politics student from Scotland. The twenty-year-old Mhairi Black won over the election head of the Labour Party, Douglas Alexander.

Black represents the Scottish National Party, a pro-independence political party. She won in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, taking it from the former Cabinet minister. Scotland, which was traditionally Labour country, opted to go with the SNP representative.

Jim Murphy, the Scottish leader of Labour, lost to Kirsten Oswald. The nationalists also took over the old seat of the former prime minister of Britain, Gordon Brown. Alex Salamond of the SNP also won a seat in parliament. Salmond was the driving force behind the failed independence referendum a year ago.

Black said during her acceptance speech that she will push for improvements in Scotland as well as engage in progressive politics to benefit the people of the UK. A number of key figures of the Liberal Democrats also lost their seats, including Vince Cable, Danny Alexander, and Simon Hughes.

The Conservatives did not spring any surprises as Prime Minister David Cameron won his old seat along with Mayor Boris John of London. UK election forecasts of two broadcasters in Britain were adjusted as ITN hinted at the possibility that an absolute majority will be won by the Conservatives with 327 seats. On the other hand, BBC said the Conservatives will get 325 seats, which is slightly higher than the 323 seats required for an absolute majority.

The recent UK elections may have an effect on the role of the country in the world stage. It may have a significant impact on the relationship of the country with NATO, the United States and the European Union.

UK Elections Surprise The Labour Party

Mhairi Black Wins Over Douglas Alexander - image credit: cnn.com

The vote was described by Cameron as the “most important election in a generation.” When he campaigned for the Conservatives, he stated that the economic recovery of the country was mainly attained under his leadership. He said he laid the foundation that will be used in rebuilding the country.

He also said that a referendum will be held to decide on the membership of Britain in the European Union.

On the other hand, Ed Miliband of the Labour Party is aiming to increase the taxes of wealthy individuals while protecting the public health system of Britain. He also said the Labour Party is struggling to provide suitable rewards to every working person instead of giving it to the wealthy people in the country.

Six hundred fifty individuals, representing constituencies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, will be elected into Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II will invite the political party with the biggest number of members in Parliament to form the government.

Since there is no clear winner in the UK elections, power-sharing deals will be negotiated before the government will be formed. British tabloids had a field day with the results of exit polls.

While the Daily Mirror expressed grief on a projected victory of the Conservative party, The Sun was more congratulatory with the result. Former SNP leader Alex Salmond said the recent UK election is “an electoral tsunami” that has the Scottish National Party riding on it.

A successful run by the SNP may result to resurgence in the call for the independence of Scotland in the future. The SNP is also aiming to end the nuclear program of Britain, which may affect the relationship of the country with NATO. The current leader of the party, Nicola Sturgeon, wants to discuss an agreement with the Conservatives once the final tally of the UK election is counted.

Posted by on Friday May 08 2015, 10:59 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0

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