Political Scientist: Electoral System Favored Labor – Run a successful election

By Friday morning, it was clear that Labor was gaining enough mandates to form a government and that Britain was facing a transition of power.

– Huge victory for the soon-to-be ruling opposition Labor Party. But at the same time, it's a win with an overstated electoral effect, says Nicholas Aylott, head of the Europe Program at the Foreign Policy Institute, and continues:

– The Labor Party has one-third of the votes, but it is enough to get almost two-thirds of the mandates in the Commons. So the electoral system is a big bonus in this election.

“Conservative Decline”

At the same time, he describes the result as a conservative collapse.

– It is very unusual for a government with a stable majority in parliament to fail and be replaced by another with a stable government. It has only happened once before.

Aylott says Keir Starmer and Labour's success can be partly explained by his luck.

– The Conservative Party has suffered from internal divisions, numerous small and large scandals, tough economic times, high immigration and long queues for care. These are the factors affecting the sitting government.

Labour's pre-election strategy has seen the party move away from the fringes of the left and towards the center in 2019.

– That's where you usually win elections, and that's what you've done.

Threatened by reform UK

The Tories, now out of government, have made one of their worst choices.

– Now conservatives face a fundamental challenge, because there is competition on the right. They haven't had that in England for a long time.

Reform UK is moving forward and putting Tory voters at risk.

– That is, two parties in almost the same place in politics, contest against each other in one-person constituencies. Nicholas Aylott says it's too complicated for the Tories.