Following one of the most controversial and tense General Elections of the 21st century, leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron finds himself at Number 10 once again after securing a total of 331 seats across the nation.
For Cameron, it was the “sweetest victory” but Friday 8th May had a far more sombre outcome for a whole host of MPs. After losing 49 seats, leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg made the heart-breaking decision to resign from the party after five years as Deputy Prime Minister.
Leader of the divisive UK Independence Party Nigel Farage lost his seat in his local constituency Thanet South, causing him to tell press he would be “taking summer off” – only for his resignation to later be revoked by the party.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon’s campaign served to highlight the flaws in the first past the post system, having gained 56 out of 59 seats but fewer votes than UKIP’s 3 million. Commentators remarked upon how 4.29 million voters are represented by 59 seats in Scotland, whereas 3 million UKIP votes were gained by just two MPs.
However, with all the drama that unfolded on election result day, without a doubt one of the biggest stories has to be the resignation of Labour leader Ed Miliband, who told followers in an emotional speech that he would “never give up” fighting for the nation. Having fought tirelessly as the main opposition to David Cameron, it came as a huge surprise and caused a social media uproar when Labour achieved just 232 seats.
Now, one week into the Conservatives’ new term, social media is already awash with speculation as to who will take over from Ed Miliband’s five-year leadership. Previously, political experts at Bookies.com had their eyes upon Chuka Umunna, Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper to step up to the plate.
Now, sources have confirmed that the new Labour leader will be announced on September 12th, and it seems that Umunna is keen to press on with his campaign. The 36-year-old is a Member of Parliament for Streatham and has also held the position of Shadow Business Secretary since 2011. At nine years Miliband’s junior, with a little more than a decade’s experience in politics, Umunna will doubtless draw some cynicism compared to a man who has been a member of the Labour Party since the age of 17.
However, he has assured voters that he can turn Labour around, but warns that it will be a “five-year plan.” Speaking from Swindon for his Facebook page, Umunna said: “Some have in recent days now suggested it is a 10-year project to get the party back into power. I don’t think we should have any truck with that. I think Labour can do it in five years.
“I want to lead that effort as part of a really big Labour team getting Labour back into office, and building a fairer and more equal society. That is why we joined the Labour party in the first place.”
