The votes are in, and after a landslide decision – it’s official… the UK is heading into a Labour government.
After 10+ years as the opposition to the Conservatives, this historic election means Sir Keir Starmer and Labour will form the next UK government. Starmer will officially become prime minister later today (Friday 5th July 2024) less than 5 years since the party suffered its worst defeat in almost a century.
“Change begins now,” promises Starmer.
Labour has already won the election – smashing the 326 minimum required for an overall majority. With 648 of 650 seats declared, Labour has won 412 seats – a huge 214 increase from 2019. With just 2 seats left to be declared, the current seats stand at:
- Labour – 412
- Conservative – 121
- Liberal Democrats – 71
- Scottish Nationalist Party – 9
- Sinn Féin – 7
- Others – 7
- Democratic Unionist Party – 5
- Green – 4
- Reform – 4
- Plaid Cymru – 4
- Social Democratic and Labour Party – 2
- Alliance – 1
- Ulster Unionist Party – 1
How will a Labour Government support Young People in Work?
Looking at the Labour Party’s manifesto, Labour has promised to support young people in work by establishing a youth guarantee and providing access to training, apprenticeships, or job support for all 18- to 21-year-olds.
The plan includes guaranteeing two weeks of work experience for every young person and improving career advice in schools and colleges. This approach aims to reduce the number of young people out of education, employment, or training, ensuring they have the necessary skills and opportunities for a successful future.
We welcome these commitments and believe addressing the challenges faced by young people in the transition from education to employment is crucial for their futures and the broader economy. By providing guaranteed training, apprenticeships, and job support, Labour’s plan will hopefully help bridge the gap between school and the workforce – ensuring young people gain practical skills and experience.
How will a Labour Government affect Apprenticeships?
Within the manifesto’s Break Down Barriers to Opportunity chapter, Labour has pledged to establish Skills England to align training with market needs and devolve adult skills funding to local authorities.
The Labour Party aims to reform the skills system by implementing a comprehensive post-16 education strategy to address confusion and shortages, ensuring all 18-21-year-olds receive training, apprenticeships, or job placement assistance.
Perhaps most notably, Labour will “reform the Conservatives’ broken Apprenticeships Levy” and replace this with a flexible Growth & Skills Levy to fund a range of valuable qualifications. We believe this is a significant step forward, and we are eager to see how Labour will align the Growth & Skills Levy with training and market needs.
How will a Labour Government drive AI Development?
We are hopeful that our new Labour government will help drive AI development by making the UK a prime destination for business growth, supporting the AI sector, removing barriers to new data centres, and establishing a National Data Library to enhance data-driven public services with strong safeguards.
Within the Labour Party’s ‘Kickstart Economic Growth’ chapter, Labour has promised to implement long-term research and development funding with ten-year budgets for key research institutions and to support university spinouts and startup financing.
Labour is set to create a new Regulatory Innovation Office, that will modernise regulations, speed up approvals, and address cross-sector technological developments, with regulations to ensure safe AI model development. Given our stance on the importance of AI development, we are optimistic about Labour’s plan and are hopeful for a thriving, secure, and forward-looking AI ecosystem in the UK.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 General Election marks a transformative moment in British politics with Labour’s landslide victory. Under the leadership of Kier Starmer, we are hopeful Labour will usher the UK into a new era – focusing on critical issues such as youth employment, apprenticeship reforms, and AI development.