There we have it. If this evening’s exit poll is to be believed – and I see no reason to doubt it – Sir Keir Starmer is in the process of leading Labour to an astonishing victory.
Huge congratulations all round. Back-slapping for everyone.
But sorry to be *that guy* – now we’ve got to get on with the boring business of governing – and governing well.
It is a peculiarity of the British constitution that that power transitions almost instantaneously. By breakfast tomorrow, the Labour leader will, in all likelihood have been to the palace and agreed to form a government. No transition period for Keir and Rachel. On with the job.
The business of government
So what should they do? Starmer has made it clear he is going to be in a rush. There will be a King’s Speech before a trimmed back recess – and we can expect a decent bit of legislation to be pushed into that with very real urgency.
It might be useful, however, to pause for just a brief minute after this first bang-crash to think about the mandate he has been asked to deliver. And, just as importantly, what voters actually expect his government to try to do.
Luckily – or perhaps you make your own luck – the reform that voters most expect him to push, according to Public First polling, is the very same thing he has most closely identified with driving up productivity: planning reform.
Read more general election coverage (article continues below):
Liveblog: Live updates, analysis and reaction to key Labour results all night
Labour results tracker: Full list and map of Labour gains, holds, losses, new MPs
Seats to watch: Guide to key constituencies to follow results in – and when
Seats at risk: The seats where Labour looks vulnerable
Email briefing: Our must-read daily newsletter on all things Labour
The same goes for renationalising the railways and scrapping the Rwanda deportation plans. Both are policies that voters expect their new prime minister to drive forward. These are exactly that he should put into law in the first hundred days: they’re both at the core of Labour party belief and central to what the nation expects.
But there is another messaging approach that the new prime minister should consider alongside this essential first flurry of action. I’m going to call it “doubling down on the decade of national renewal”. From Day 1 – from his first speech in the morning – Starmer needs to keep telling people that his plan is going to take time.
Less “a new dawn has broken”, and more “I can see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel”.
Public expectations
Opinion research during the course of the campaign by Public First, where I am a partner, suggests that this too is what people expect from a Starmer administration.
Firstly, our polling has found, over the last few weeks, that the public, while still unsure of their new prime minister’s personality, has become increasingly certain on a few positive characteristics they associate with him. Namely that he is smart, calm, hardworking and trustworthy. In short they associate strengths that we associate with “a man with a plan”.
READ MORE: Lee Harpin: ‘How Starmer repaired Labour’s relationship with Jewish voters’
Secondly, we have run focus groups with floating voters in key marginals and found them so horrified by the state of the country – namely the economy and the NHS – that they are not in the market for quick fixes. They don’t believe that it can be fixed quickly because they don’t think it is possible. They want expectations to be managed.
Reflecting this belief back to the people, with a message that the Starmer Project will take a long time to unfurl, will have another significant strength: it is true.
READ MORE: ‘What would happen during the first 100 days of a Labour government?’
Rebuilding the underpinning of our economy while simultaneously saving the NHS will take lots and lots of time.
It would also help the party begin to pitch-roll for 2029. Party bigwigs are already worrying about re-election not least of all because it is unlikely that many of their policies will be bearing fruit by then. Much better to prepare the ground by suggesting early that the next election will be nothing more than the end of the beginning.
Right now, the people of Britain appear to have given Starmer power. Right now, they also appear to want to give him the gift of time. Let’s make sure we use it it wisely.
It’s going to take at least a decade to put this country right.
READ MORE: Sign up to our must-read daily briefing email on all things Labour
Read more of our 2024 general election coverage:
North East Somerset and Hanham: Can Labour mayor Dan Norris consign Jacob Rees-Mogg to history?
Finchley and Golders Green: Can Labour win back Britain’s most Jewish seat?
Small boats and Tory mutineers: Can veteran Mike Tapp win Dover and Deal?
East Thanet: Inside the battle for coastal ex-UKIP stronghold not won since 2005
Sheffield Hallam: ‘Can Labour’s Olivia Blake hold on in Nick Clegg’s old seat?’
Battle of the bar charts in Wimbledon: Inside a rare election three-horse race
Could Labour take ‘non-battleground’ Tory seats across the South West?
Meet NHS doctor Zubir Ahmed, fighting one of Scotland’s tightest marginals
Brighton Pavilion: As Starmer visits, can Labour win the Greens’ one seat?
Labour wants a new generation of new towns. Can it win in Milton Keynes?
Meet Gordon McKee, the 29-year-old son of a welder vying for Glasgow South
Revealed: The battlegrounds attracting most activists as 17,000 sign up
SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour or the election – contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
DONATE: If you value our work, please donate to become one of our supporters here and help sustain and expand our coverage.
PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or content, email [email protected].
More from LabourList
‘The Christian Left boasts a successful past – but does it have a future?’
The King’s Speech quiz 2024: How well do you know the bills Labour put forward?
LabourList 2024 Quiz: How well do you know Labour, its history and jargon?