For at least a decade, the United Kingdom has been defined by its chronic instability. The 2014 Scottish independence referendum challenged the integrity of the British state itself, leading to the collapse of Labour north of the border and prolonged conflict between Westminster and Holyrood. The 2016 Brexit vote permanently destabilised the Conservative Party and resulted in four prime ministers in eight years. Successive leaders struggled to appease powerful but unrepresentative back-bench factions.
The election of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party marks the end of this era. With a majority of 172 seats, the new government will be more stable than any since Tony Blair’s administration in 1997. By winning a majority of seats in Scotland as well as England and Wales – the first time any party has done so since 2001 – Labour has settled the independence question for now. The SNP, which won just nine of the country’s 57 seats, has lost its claim to a mandate for secession. A revived Scottish Labour could yet regain control of the devolved parliament in 2026.
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