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What UK Labour’s landslide election means for Ukraine
The United Kingdom has been a leader in rallying world support for Ukraine, and we expect that to remain the same under a Labour government. Although Keir Starmer was elected as Labour Party leader under a non-interventionist platform, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shifted U.K. politics. There is near-unanimity across the parties on the appropriateness of backing Ukraine.
At the start of the full-scale invasion, then-U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced numerous scandals and criticism over his handling of the COVID pandemic. In Ukraine, Johnson became a hero: By the time he resigned on July 7, 2022, the U.K. was the largest supporter of Ukraine after the U.S., providing 3.8 billion pounds in aid. Johnson was also one of the first leaders to visit Kyiv during the war.
In August, following Johnson’s resignation, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him the Order of Freedom, Ukraine’s highest honor for foreigners. Support for Ukraine did not waver as the U.K. went through three prime ministers in 2022.
With a cost-of-living crisis putting Britain’s poverty rate at 18% and failures in domestic policy, polls have long shown Conservatives trailing behind Labour. In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released positive economic predictions, showing stabilizing inflation. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, knowing the situation for his party was unlikely to improve, called for a snap election.
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