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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Belfast in 2022. File photo by Press Eye
We’re now just over a month away from the UK General Election.
The polls suggest that the Tories are toast, and it looks like Labour are likely to win this election by a landslide. For the past 12 months, Labour have been consistently polling above 40% in opinion polls, suggesting major Tory losses.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has themed his campaign around change. Starmer says it’s time for change, that the Labour party has changed, and he promises a changed UK under a new government.
However, questions remain about what will really look different under a Labour government. What will change on July 5?
Sir Keir has made it clear that Labour will keep many of the same policies as the Tories.
Labour plan to maintain the same fiscal rules, ruling out the massive public investment that our public services need.
Labour have promised more privatisation of the NHS; they have no plans to fix utilities like water, and have made no commitments to extra council housing.
In terms of foreign policy, Labour will also maintain the same stance as the Tories on Gaza, with Starmer already angering many in his party by not opposing Israeli war crimes.
The one major dividing line between the Conservatives and Labour was their commitment to green investment. This line has been dissolved, and Labour slashed their £28 billion green investment pledge.
Turning to Northern Ireland, it doesn’t look like there will be massive change here under a Labour government. Starmer is a very committed unionist who has ruled out a border poll and categorically said that he’s not taking the UK, as a whole, into the European Union single market.
Rosalind Skillen is an environmental activist and writer
If Labour is elected, we may not see big policy changes for Northern Ireland; however, it is interesting some of the key operators in Starmer’s team have strong knowledge of Irish politics.
His chief of staff, Sue Gray, served as Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance in the Executive, and Cork-born Morgan McSweeney is the campaign manager for the Labour Party. Both can give some insight into the political landscape on the island, including how Stormont and the civil service works.
Of course, Starmer’s first-hand experience of working in Northern Ireland goes in his favour. Unlike Sunak, who had not visited Northern Ireland before his election campaign in 2022, Starmer has lived and worked in the north. A lot has changed here since his time with the Policing Board from 2003 to 2008, but certainly, he has demonstrated that he is willing to engage with complex questions here, including committing last year to repeal the Legacy Bill.
And, who will Northern Ireland be sending to Westminster? A total of 18 seats are up for grabs and the parties say they’re ready. One thing’s for sure: the big crises facing Northern Ireland right now – housing, healthcare and climate change – all require muscular politicians committed to work with others for social good.
Rosalind Skillen is an environmental activist and writer @rosalindskillen