On the fourth of July, 2024 the British public voted and elected a new government. After 14 years of rule by the Conservative party, a Labour government under Keir Starmer was sworn in. It campaigned under a banner of change as it secured it a large majority in parliament. The election also saw significant inroads for many smaller parties which ran on more progressive platforms, including clear support for Palestine including calls for full suspensions of arms sales with Israel. Another party that made significant gains, although at a smaller scale than many had predicted, is the Reform party. Rallying around an explicit anti-migrant, anti-climate and anti-rights agenda, it has catapulted itself into parliament after years of public and political debate aiming to increase and leverage a divided and polarised UK including by deepening its racism and transphobia. This means the political landscape in the United Kingdom now looks very differently than it did before, and in this episode we are joined by Claudia Craig, Senior Advocacy Adviser on gender justice at CARE International UK and Richard Reeve, coordinator of the Rethinking Security network, to check-in with where the government stands now, since it has been able to stretch it legs and whether it is upholding promises made, and as we look ahead to the next few years, what might we be able to expect?

Resources

GAPS’s WPS recommendations for the first 100 days of government: https://gaps-uk.org/the-first-100-days-of-women-peace-and-security/

GAPS’s Shadow Report: https://gaps-uk.org/assessing-uk-government-action-on-women-peace-and-security-in-2023/