Carol Vorderman has issued a message to Sir Keir Starmer, urging him to remain grounded following his monumental victory, which came just hours after delivering the Conservative Party one of its most significant defeats in recent times.
The TV personality was awake until the early hours at 8am, witnessing what she hopes is the beginning of a new era under Labour’s governance, yet she remains sceptical about the longevity of the Tories‘ downfall.
At 63, the presenter understands that tactical voting played a significant role in this election outcome, as many sought to oust an immensely unpopular government rather than out of genuine support for Labour.
Vorderman, who also contributed to the tactical voting initiative Stopthetories.vote, knows that despite Labour’s impressive majority of 174 seats, the public will be eager to see immediate progress as the country’s reconstruction gets underway.
Speaking to The Mirror, she expressed her elation and belief in the power of the electorate, but also emphasised that those anticipating a passive Conservative response to their crushing loss are likely mistaken.
The ex-Countdown star commented: “It was a wonderful night. I’ll be totally honest, I’ve slept most of the day – I didn’t go to bed until 8am. This needed to happen, the country desperately needed change and at last we’ve got it. We can look forward at last and build a brighter Tory-free future.”
“This is the worst result in their history, but I don’t think this is the end of them. What happens in the next ten years will define what happens to the country. Labour really have to come up with this goods. This wasn’t just a vote of ‘we love you, we want you in power’ – this was a more ‘we’ve had enough of the others’.”
“Labour will know that, they’ll be aware that this was, for a lot of people, a vote to get rid of the Tories. You saw that with the amount of people who tapped their postcode into our website. They have to get this right. It’s not a warning, it’s more a word to the wise really. They have to.”
“This whole sense of building trust and it costing no money – well, there has not been much kindness for 14 years. The thing that has got me is the power of the people when we work together, nothing can top that. Thanks to some coordinated tactical voting in this election, the unthinkable become possible.”
With her fixation on politics intensifying over the years, the TV celebrity turned activist didn’t hold back in highlighting a list of Tory scandals. Among these is the so-called VIP lane for Covid PPE deals which profited Conservative supporters.
Despite her political neutrality, she believes the situation has made progress.
Sir Keir, who has officially taken over from Rishi Sunak following a meeting with the King at Buckingham Palace today, has already begun assembling his new cabinet.
This marks a significant reversal of fortunes for the party, which only managed to secure 203 seats under former leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 – Labour’s poorest performance in terms of seats since 1935.
“I think they’re going to be quite strident,” Carol continued. “Essentially we have had Gremlins in No10 who have just ransacked the house and tried to nick the lead off the roof. They’ll be going in and discovering what’s left. They’ve got those issues to deal with, some many of them. In terms of cleaning up politics, they’re crack on. I think we’ll see a lot of changes, well I b****y well hope we do! “.
“My message to the Mirror’s readers is that ‘you’ve done it, take a breath and let’s see what happens next’. Nothing can beat people coming together. What we’ve seen is the strength of unity, and what will happen after many years of torrid leadership. Let’s hope they hit ground running.”
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