Last week, the Labour party won the General Election with a landslide victory, making Sir Keir Starmer the new Prime Minister. Britain has chosen its new leader for the first time in five years, with Labour securing more than 400 seats.
Our reporter Ines Santos asked people in Canary Wharf if they think Keir Starmer will be a good Prime Minister. Despite Labour’s significant win, people still have mixed feelings about the new leadership.
Jamie Biddle is pleased with the new cabinet but concerned about Starmer’s stance on Gaza. He also said that Starmer must show his progressive side immediately, not wait until the next election.
READ MORE: Full list of London General Election results for every constituency
He added: “He needs to really reach left, reach progressive, or he’ll be a bad Prime Minister. If he does it, Labour might stay in power for a while. But for that, he must address issues like the NHS, trains, and Scottish relations.”
Gail Theobald, 56, thinks this Labour party is very different from the past. She said: “I don’t agree with most of Labour’s policies, they are totally different now… I genuinely believe Great Britain will just go to pot – we’re gonna have no money and it’s gonna be a far worse state of affairs than it was under Conservative.”
But most Londoners are pleased with the change. Robert Miller said: “I am very pleased to get rid of the Tories – happy days! I think we needed more left-leaning policies, and I wasn’t happy with the Rwanda policy, which was obviously scrapped straight away.”
Some are simply glad to see the Conservatives gone. Megan Dobney highlighted the chaos of their 14 years in power. She said: “Anything is better than the last lot. We had five prime ministers in 14 years, and one was a lettuce!”
She added: “I’m really looking forward to the carrying out of the proposals on employment rights for workers, which they’ve committed to bring in the next 100 days. That is really important for Trade Union officials like me.”
Carolyn Simpson agrees and is optimistic about Labour’s tax policies. She said: “I liked their election campaign on closing tax loopholes. We pay our taxes, and rich people should too.”
She also stressed the need for healthcare reform. Carolyn added: “They need to discuss pay raises with doctors, the BMA, and dentists.”
