The UK now has a Labour government under the leadership of the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Centre-Left Labour Party won a massive majority in the 650-seat British Parliament, making a resounding come-back after sitting in the opposition for a long 14-year period.
The election results turned the tables in British politics as the Labour Party won more than 410 seats, an increase of 211, while the Conservative Party, lost 250 lawmakers, including a record number of senior ministers and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss.
In the context of British politics, the victory of Labour marks the return of the “socialist working class” party, as it were, although the party has become more center to moderate left under the leadership of Keir Starmer, say political experts. But Labour’s victory definitely signifies the disastrous impact of the policies of the long-running Conservative government on the UK’s working class.
If media reports are anything to go by, the new British PM has a tough road ahead. According to a report by the Reuters, the UK’s tax burden is set to hit the highest just after the Second World War and its net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output. The country’s public infrastructure is in shambles, living standards have fallen drastically, and the UK’s National Health Services (NHS) has been in a perennial state of crisis, says the report further.
The UK’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to fix all these issues and many more. The most challenging task that lies ahead of him is getting the UK’s economy back on track, and doing so without hurting the interests of the working class and cutting down on the state’s funding of essential services like healthcare, education, etc.
But leaving the UK’s domestic issues aside, what are the implications of the Labour Party’s victory for Bharat?
Going by the party’s track record vis-à-vis Bharat, one shouldn’t set their hopes too high, it seems. Undue interference in Bharat’s internal affairs has been unfortunately the defining feature of British politics when it comes to the Labour Party and their policies. Before Keir Starmer, the Labour Party was under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, whose anti-Bharat stance put India-Bharat bilateral relations under significant stress. The party passed a resolution in the British Parliament in 2019 calling for international intervention in Kashmir and a UN-led Referendum. The resolution was passed following Bharat’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The vehemently anti-Bharat resolution sparked a backlash, alienating the Labour’s British-Bharatiya voter base during the 2019 elections. However, when Keir Starmer assumed the leadership of the Labour Party, he tried to do damage control later. “Any constitutional issues in India are a matter for the Indian Parliament”, he reportedly stated during a meeting with Labour Friends of India. Starmer also added that “Kashmir is a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve peacefully”.
This pretty much puts things in perspective vis-à-vis the expected trajectory of the evolution of Bharat-UK bilateral relations under Keir Starmer’s leadership. The Labour Party might have a somewhat controversial record when it comes to Bharat, but Starmer has a balanced perspective on Bharat and has on multiple occasions reiterated his desire to work closely with Bharat to further advance Bharat-UK’s strategic partnership.
PM Modi recently spoke to the British Prime Minister over the phone, and the two reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Economic Partnership between Bharat and the UK along with “robust economic ties”. During the conversation, Keir Starmer also reportedly told PM Modi that the UK was ready to conclude the Free Trade Agreement with Bharat.
During the conversation, the two leaders agreed there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology, and climate change, for the two countries to deepen cooperation on, as per various media reports. They also reportedly appreciated the positive contributions of the Bharatiya community in the economic, social, and political development of the UK and agreed to continue to promote people- to-people ties. PM Modi also extended an invitation to Starmer to visit Bharat at the earliest opportunity.
Under the leadership of Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s manifesto also included a commitment to pursue a new strategic partnership with Bharat, emphasizing the free trade agreement.
Bharat and the UK have been engaged in negotiations for a free trade agreement since 2022. Ever since Brexit happened, the UK has been seeking the FTA with Bharat rather aggressively, looking to safeguard its economic interests and diversify its trade partnerships beyond the European Union. Bharat on its part, is playing cool and negotiating hard. The agreement is still stalled since the two sides haven’t still reached a consensus on a couple of major points.
As per media reports, the main contentious issue for Bharat regarding the FTA has been to ease intra-company transfers to allow professionals to work in the UK. The UK on its part has pushed to secure a greater degree of access to the Bharatiya services market and a reduction in tariffs for products such as automobiles and whisky.
Since Keir Starmer’s government has an overwhelming majority providing the UK with a stable government after a long time, it certainly seems the right time for Bharat and the UK to seal the deal on a free trade agreement. But it’s equally important that the two sides find a point of balance and not rush into it. Most importantly, Bharat should carefully weigh the pros and cons and focus on safeguarding its economic and strategic interests, and not feel compelled to get the FTA deal through soon.
With the alarming rise in hate crimes against the Hindus, rising temple attacks, and an overall anti-Hindu climate fueled by the toxic concoction of radical Islamists and Khalistani separatists in the UK, Hinduphobia has become a major concern for British Hindus. Yet, neither the Labour nor the Conservatives have done much to allay the fears and concerns of the British Hindu community.
Keir Starmer has also been credited with changing the perception of British Hindus towards the Labour party. Historically, the Labour in the UK has developed the mis-reputation of being anti-Hindu for various reasons. With Starmer’s leadership, say experts, the Labour has returned to the centre of politics, thus it is being viewed more favorably by groups like Hindus and Jews.
Keir Starmer’s Hindu outreach during the election campaigning phase has been rather vocal. He has been in the news for interacting with British Hindus at various community gatherings and enthusiastically participating in Holi and Diwali celebrations. Starmer also reportedly visited the Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury, ahead of elections, where he reportedly said that there is absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain.
His speech began with “Jai Swaminarayan” as he went on to praise British Hindus for “their rich heritage and deep commitment to Britain’s future”. Pics of Starmer standing within the temple premises sporting a tilak have been doing the rounds of the internet. As far as optics are concerned, the new British PM seems to have got it right. How far will he go to walk the walk to actually weed out Hinduphobia from the UK, one will have to wait and watch.
Despite Starmer’s pro-Bharat, stance, the road still looks somewhat bumpy for Bharat-UK relations, since the Labour Party under his leadership has done little to address the threat posed by Khalistani extremists to Bharatiya consulates in the UK, and the British Bharatiya community. At least two Labour MPs with known Khalistani sympathies, have been elected to the British Parliament.
An article recently published by Firstpost reveals their backgrounds in detail. “One is Preet Kaur Gill, who has been associated with the Smethwick Gurudwara, a site that also houses a shrine for Khalistani terrorists. The second is Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who criticized India at a Referendum 2020 rally and demanded a parliamentary debate during the farmer’s protests in India. It remains to be seen how effectively Starmer can limit their influence and prevent it from translating into significant action”, says the piece.
Overall, a drastic change seems unlikely regarding the overall framework of Bharat-UK bilateral relations during Keir Starmer’s term. The UK has a lot on its plate already vis-à-vis internal issues that need fixing. Thus, it seems highly unlikely that the party will give undue space to Khalistanis and radical Islamists or go out of its way to create trouble for Bharat on international platforms regarding the Kashmir issue or any other issue for that matter.
Starmer has already made the Labour Party’s new stance clear regarding the Kashmir issue that it’s Bharat’s internal matter. Thus, on that front, I think Bharat needn’t worry. Also, the UK now faces a much stronger Bharat with formidable geopolitical clout. Thus, the new Labour government very well knows that playing the Kashmir card or any other card Bharat will not yield much in terms of tangible results. Bharat has a stable government at the centre which is going to charge its independent policy course anyways, uninfluenced by external interference.
Regarding the issue of Khalistani extremism, one has to wait and watch how things pan out and if the new government will have the will and courage to tackle Khalistani extremism. It’s the same with Hinduphobia; visiting temples during the campaigning phase and saying that the UK will not tolerate Hinduphobia is all good. But the real litmus test of intentions happens on the ground – how far will Starmer’s government go beyond rhetoric to address the legitimate concerns of British Hindus, only time will tell.
