In a tumultuous national election, the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, emerged as the winner with a landslide victory, securing 412 seats in the House of Commons. However, the actual voting patterns and decreased overall percentage of the vote suggest a complex and disrupted political landscape in the U.K.

The election outcome came as a shock, with Starmer becoming prime minister overnight following the resignation of Rishi Sunak, leader of the Conservative Party. Sunak's party experienced a devastating collapse at the polls during the six-week election campaign. Labour's significant win marks their largest since Tony Blair's victory in 1997.

Surprisingly, despite Labour's electoral success, their overall percentage of the vote increased by less than two points compared to their near-catastrophic loss in 2019. It appears that Labour received 500,000 fewer votes nationwide than they did under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. In comparison to Corbyn's narrow loss to Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017, Labour's vote share this time fell to under 34%, a significant drop from 40% in the previous election.

The underlying complexity of the election results indicates a potential implosion of mainstream electoral politics in the U.K. This echoes similar shifts seen in major European nations such as France, Germany, and Italy. However, the consequences of this political meltdown might be hidden due to the U.K.'s "first past the post" electoral system, where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins, regardless of whether they secure a majority.

The real story lies in the collapse of the pro-Brexit coalition led by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now ousted. The Conservative Party lost roughly half of their vote total from the 2019 election, securing only 24% of the overall vote and fewer than 7 million votes. The missing votes did not fully transfer to Labour or the centrist Liberal Democrats, who experienced some loss of votes compared to 2019.

Notably, the Green Party gained ground, going from one seat in Parliament to four and receiving nearly 2 million votes. Many of the missing Tory and Labour voters from previous elections chose to stay home, contributing to a relatively low estimated turnout of 60%.

Surprisingly, Reform U.K., the newly-formed ultra-nationalist and anti-immigrant party led by Nigel Farage, emerged as the third-largest party in Britain in terms of total votes and vote share. While Reform U.K. only secured five seats in Parliament, their strategic impact was significant, as they divided the right-wing vote and cost the Tories numerous parliamentary districts, allowing Labour and the Lib Dems to gain seats.

The 2024 British election highlights a striking fact: Labour's considerable parliamentary majority is built on just 9.7 million votes, while Reform U.K. and the Tories collectively received nearly 11 million votes. This emphasizes the need for Labour to recognize that the disgruntled far-right movement may not be defeated simply because they lost an election.

In the House of Commons, Keir Starmer currently appears as a formidable winner. However, the shifting political landscape underscores the importance of learning from the experiences of American liberals and progressives, who have faced the resurgence of the far right. The pendulum of political support can swing back and forth, necessitating constant attention and strategic planning.