UK election: Hopes run high for change as Labour wins in landslide

British Safety Council has extended its congratulations to the Labour Party and said it is ready to work with the incoming Government to ensure that promises to improve conditions for workers are met, and that a greater focus is placed on people’s health, safety and wellbeing as plans are drawn up to grow the economy.

The Labour Party won the election on a platform of change after 14 years of Conservative Party rule. Photograph: iStock/Adam Webb

British voters went to the polls on 4 July in the country’s first general election since 2019. The electorate awoke to the news that the Labour Party had surpassed the required 326 Parliamentary seats by a large margin and that Sir Keir Starmer would become the next Prime Minister.

The Labour Party won the election on a platform of change after 14 years of Conservative Party rule, during which time there have been no fewer than five different Conservative Prime Ministers.  

Commenting on the outcome of the most recent general election, British Safety Council chairman Peter McGettrick said: “After years of political uncertainty and turbulence, the prospect of a more settled and stable political environment in the UK is welcome for businesses and workers alike, and we congratulate Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party on their election success.

“We want to see people’s health, safety and wellbeing at the heart of future economic growth, and we will be looking to Labour to deliver on its promises to improve employment conditions as well as support businesses to succeed and grow.”

Among Labour’s manifesto commitments that will affect the workplace were pledges to ensure the safe development of the use of artificial intelligence; create a single enforcement body to uphold employment rights; improve access to training and apprenticeships for young people; and establish ‘Skills England’ to help develop an industrial strategy. The party has also promised to support disabled people by improving employment support and access to reasonable adjustments.

“Labour set out positive and imaginative policies in their manifesto on work, technology and growth and we stand ready to work with the new Government for the benefit of people’s health, safety and wellbeing across the UK,” said McGettrick.

In its pre-election Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manifesto, British Safety Council emphasised that new and developing technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) can play a vital role in improving workplace health, safety and wellbeing in the future. It called for investment in these technologies to be incentivised through the introduction of a corporation tax credit, which would enable businesses making such investments to offset up to 5 per cent of their associated annual costs.

“New and emerging technologies not only open up new prospects for greater prosperity and efficiencies, they can also help to protect people and prevent risks, but we must make sure we regulate and govern them well,” said McGettrick.

Prior to the election, British Safety Council’s chairman had criticised the “lack of focus” given to health, safety and wellbeing by the main political parties in their manifestos. Following Labour’s landslide victory, McGettrick has urged the new Government to “remember that wellbeing is broader than just mental health”.

He added: “We also want to see more support for training which supports people’s health and safety, while we upskill our workforce so they can make the most of new opportunities.”