Defying all poll predictions and speculation, Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative party on Friday secured simple majority in the 650-member House of Commons, winning 326 seats in the British general elections. Ed Miliband’s labour Party secured 230 seats, the dark horse Scottish National Party (SNP) 56, and the Democratic Unionist Party and the liberal Democrats were tied at eight each.
The number of Indian-origin members in the new House of Commons remains at ten, unchanged from the previous House. Cameron said the election result is “clearly a very strong result for the Conservative Party”, and added the party has had “a very positive response to a very positive campaign”. He said the Conservatives published a manifesto squarely for working people, and he hopes to be able to implement it in full.
Reacting to the results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his happiness. Congratulating British Prime Minister David Cameron for the historic win, Modi tweeted, “Phir Ek Baar, Cameron Sarkar!” My best wishes.” However, Britain was left reeling as three top party leaders, including Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage resigned barely hours after their parties were routed in the election.
First to quit was Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party who resigned after he failed to win the coastal Kent constituency of South Thanet from the Conservatives. Farage finished in second place behind Tory candidate Craig MacKinlay in what had been Ukip’s key target seat. “I have just resigned as leader of Ukip. I have kept my promise. I have honoured what I said. I shall write to the National Executive Committee,” Farage said.
Then it was Nick Clegg who resigned as liberal Democrat leader after his party was routed at the General Election. The outgoing Deputy Prime Minister though retained his Sheffield, Hallam seat, warned that the politics of “fear and grievance” had won while liberalism had lost. last was, Ed Miliband, the Prime Ministerial candidate from the labour party. He stepped down as labour leader saying he is truly sorry for the scale of the party’s crushing defeat.
Significantly, the number of Indian-origin members in the new House of Commons following the General Elections held on Thursday will remain at ten, unchanged from the previous House. All sitting Indian-origin MPs were re-elected bar one. Paul Uppal of the Conservative party lost the Wolverhampton South West seat in the West Midlands to Rob Marris of the labour party.
Uppal’s loss, though, was compensated for by victory for Rishi Sunak, a Conservative, in Richmond in Yorkshire. This first-time MP was fighting a seat vacated by William Hague, who until last year was Britain’s foreign minister. Sunak is a son-in-law of NR Narayana Murthy, one of the founders of the Indian software giant Infosys.
Meanwhile, coming as a surprise, the SNP made a near-clean sweep with 56 out of a total 59 seats, recording its most successful general elections victory ever. Its previous best was in October 1974, when it won 11 seats. The party won six seats in 2010. The three seats that slipped through the SNP’s fingers in Scotland went to the Conservative Party, labour and the liberal Democrats each.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who was at the Emirates Stadium when the Glasgow votes were being counted, said that the labour has been “losing the trust of the people of Scotland over a period of years.” She added: “What we’re seeing tonight is Scotland voting to put its trust in the SNP to make Scotland’s voice heard, a clear voice for an end to austerity, better public services and more progressive politics at Westminster. That’s what we now intend to do.”
Interestingly, a 20-year-old student representing the SNP has become Britain’s youngest Member of Parliament in over 300 years after defeating labour’s shadow Foreign Secretary. Mhairi Black secured defeated Douglas Alexander, 47, in Paisley and Renfrewshire South by over 6,000 votes. Alexander is labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesman and campaign chief. The humiliating defeat ends the political career of one of labour’s most senior figures and sums up labour’s dismal performance and an SNP sweep in Scotland. Black will be the youngest MP when she takes her seat in the House of Commons later this month after 13-year-old Christopher Monckton who won in 1667. However, she still does need to complete her final year politics exams at Glasgow University.