{"id":7925,"date":"2024-07-14T14:11:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T05:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=7925"},"modified":"2024-07-21T11:56:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T02:56:51","slug":"change-begins-now-starmers-labour-party-triumphs-in-uk-election-pledges-to-continue-support-for-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/news\/change-begins-now-starmers-labour-party-triumphs-in-uk-election-pledges-to-continue-support-for-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cChange begins now\u201d: Starmer\u2019s Labour Party triumphs in UK Election, Pledges to continue support for Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

London (INPS Japan\/ London Post) \u2013\u00a0Keir Starmer triumphantly declared that \u201cchange begins now\u201d after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in the United Kingdom\u2019s general elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. This historic win signals a shift in British politics, with Starmer set to become the new Prime Minister. However, despite pledging a fresh approach to domestic economic issues and the cost-of-living crisis, Starmer\u2019s government has indicated it will maintain the outgoing administration\u2019s robust military and diplomatic support for Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Labour has hinted at a more conciliatory tone towards the European Union, the party has assured NATO and other allies that London will continue to view Russia as a significant threat to Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the continuity, expressing gratitude to the outgoing Conservatives and congratulating the incoming Labour government on its \u201cconvincing election victory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUkraine and the United Kingdom have been and will continue to be reliable allies through thick and thin,\u201d Zelenskiy wrote on social media. \u201cWe will continue to defend and advance our common values of life, freedom, and a rules-based international order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starmer, a 61-year-old former lawyer who took over Labour\u2019s leadership four years ago, is expected to visit Buckingham Palace to see King Charles and formally begin his tenure as Prime Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Mandate for Responsibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Addressing supporters at dawn, Starmer emphasized the responsibility that comes with such a mandate. Outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a staunch supporter of NATO and Ukraine, expressed gratitude for the \u201csteadfast support\u201d and \u201cshared achievements\u201d during his tenure, including the supply of tanks, Storm Shadow missiles, and F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Lammy, anticipated to be the new Foreign Secretary, predicted that Labour\u2019s return to power would bring a foreign policy of \u201cprogressive realism.\u201d He emphasized the need to \u201cturn the page on 14 years of Tory chaos,\u201d with Labour aiming to reconnect with Europe, address climate change, and engage more with the Global South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On defense, Starmer and Labour have described their commitment to NATO\u2019s role in transatlantic security as \u201cunshakable.\u201d They have pledged \u201csteadfast\u201d support for Ukraine, including military, financial, diplomatic, and political backing, and a path toward NATO membership for Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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London Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Consensus on Foreign Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Olivia O\u2019Sullivan, director of the U.K. in the World Program at Chatham House, noted the surprising consensus between Labour and the Conservatives on foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine. \u201cThere are many ways in which the foreign policy positions of the Labour Party are not that distinct from the Conservatives,\u201d she said, highlighting the shared commitment to supporting Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is expected to assume the EU\u2019s top diplomatic post, congratulated Starmer on his victory and praised the U.K.\u2019s commitment to common security. \u201cI\u2019m sure our excellent cooperation will only continue to thrive,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starmer has indicated his intent to meet with Zelenskiy early in his leadership and has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as \u201cthe aggressor in Ukraine.\u201d He emphasized the importance of a united front in supporting Ukraine, a stance that will be tested at NATO\u2019s 75th anniversary summit in Washington on July 9-11 and at the European Political Community Summit at Blenheim Palace on July 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestic Challenges Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

British voters turned to Labour seeking relief from the economic woes and stagnation that have followed the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. Labour\u2019s victory saw the party surpass the 326 seats needed for a working majority in the House of Commons, gaining well over 200 seats as the Conservatives lost an even higher number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his concession speech, Sunak acknowledged Labour\u2019s victory and congratulated Starmer. Right-wing populist Reform Party leader Nigel Farage also won a seat for the first time, reflecting a broader right-wing surge in the recent European Parliament elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Starmer prepares to lead, he faces the dual challenge of addressing domestic economic issues while maintaining the UK\u2019s strong international stance, particularly in supporting Ukraine. The new government\u2019s actions in the coming weeks will be crucial in solidifying its leadership and addressing both domestic and global challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INPS Japan\/London Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London (INPS Japan\/ London Post) \u2013\u00a0Keir Starmer triumphantly declared that \u201cchange begins now\u201d after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in the United Kingdom\u2019s general elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. This historic win signals a shift in British politics, with Starmer set to become the new Prime Minister. However, despite pledging a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,16,93,32],"tags":[100],"class_list":{"0":"post-7925","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-europe","8":"category-news","9":"category-politics","10":"category-regions","11":"tag-london-post"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7928,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925\/revisions\/7928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}