Respect the Result?
Only When It Suits You
The Double Standard in British Politics
The 2024 UK general election has revealed a familiar and unsettling pattern within the political right. As Labour, under Keir Starmer, emerged victorious, a significant portion of the right-wing media and its supporters began calling for a rerun of the election, citing broken promises and alleged deceit. This rhetoric is not just ironic; it reflects an enduring double standard in British politics.
When the Brexit referendum occurred in 2016, the outcome—a narrow victory for Leave—left the nation deeply divided. The debate over whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union had been contentious, and the referendum’s result, at approximately 52% to 48%, was far from a decisive mandate for departure. Despite widespread calls for a second referendum or further debate on the terms of leaving, the rallying cry from Leave proponents and much of the right-wing establishment was firm: “Respect the result.” There was no room, they said, for reconsideration. Democracy had spoken, and regardless of the complexities or misrepresentations that had influenced the campaign, the decision was final.
This message was directed primarily at those who felt deceived by the campaign’s oversimplifications and false promises. It was meant for those who saw slogans like ‘£350 million a week for the NHS’ and questioned whether the public had been misled. Yet any suggestion that the referendum might have been flawed or that voters could have been influenced by misinformation was dismissed outright. You don’t get a re-run just because you lost, they said. Democracy, they insisted, meant accepting outcomes—even when those outcomes were difficult.
The Right's Reaction to Labour's Victory in 2024
Fast forward to 2024, and we see a similar scenario unfolding, only with the players switching sides. Labour won a significant victory, and Starmer took the helm. The right, however, seemed unwilling to apply the same democratic standards they had demanded after Brexit. Within a few short months of Labour assuming office, calls for a re-run of the election echoed across social media, encouraged by right-wing commentators and disillusioned former Conservative voters. Right-wing newspapers like the Daily Mail and television channels such as GB News appear to be championing this cause, further fuelling discontent among their audience. Elon Musk also weighed in, stating that “people in the UK are tired of living in a police state” (Musk, 2024). Sorry, but who asked Elon Musk? And what would his opinion be if the left in the US petitioned for a re-run of the election there? Of course, he'd be against it because his guy won. The irony would be comical if this wasn't actual reality.
Hypocrisy Across The Right
The same hypocrisy is evident across the Atlantic in America. When the right lost the 2020 election, there was an immediate refusal to accept the results. Cries of election fraud filled the airwaves, conspiracy theories ran rampant, and 'Stop the Steal' became a rallying cry for those unwilling to accept that Donald Trump had lost. But now, with a victory in 2024, there has been complete silence on election fraud. Not a whisper. When Trump was asked if the 2024 election was going to be fair, he responded with, ‘I'll tell you afterwards’ (Trump, 2024). It was a telling answer—fairness was evidently conditional upon him winning. Now that he has, there is no talk of fraud, no questioning of integrity, just the deafening silence of hypocrisy.
Nigel Farage, the self-styled champion of 'the people', has already waded in on the calls for a re-run of the election, seemingly delighting in the chaos, stating he's 'never seen anything like it' (Farage, 2024). Of course, this is a far cry from his stance post-Brexit referendum, when he was adamant that the democratic result should be respected without question. The Rt. Honorable Gentleman for Mar-a-Lago is now enjoying the spectacle, casting it as yet another referendum moment—a chance for the 'real patriots' of Britain to have their say again. The irony is palpable: for a man who built his reputation on demanding respect for democracy (when it suited him), Farage’s opportunistic feeding on the current uncertainty is all too typical. Farage, ever the political gadfly, waits for the right TV network to call so he can repeat his performance once again.
This kind of double standard has serious consequences. It breeds cynicism and disillusionment with democracy itself. If every election or referendum is contested simply because one side dislikes the result, what remains of the democratic spirit? Voters are not naive; they see these tactics for what they are. Such actions risk alienating people from political participation altogether, reinforcing the notion that politics is a game manipulated by the powerful, with rules that change based on convenience.
Moving Forward: Learning to Accept Defeat
To be clear, we are not fans of Starmer at all, but we can see this call for a fresh election for what it is: a cheap trick by the right to undermine democracy because they don't like the result.
For British politics to progress, the right must learn to lose just as they have demanded the left do. Accepting defeat and functioning as a constructive opposition is as much a part of democracy as winning. Democracy is about building consensus, holding power accountable, and offering alternative visions—not contesting every outcome until it suits you. Until this principle is respected by all, the democratic fabric of the nation will remain strained, pulled by forces that would rather see it unravel than accept a reality they do not favour.
References
Farage, N. (2024) 'Never seen anything like it', GB News. Available at: https://www.gbnews.com/farage-interview (Accessed: 25 November 2024).
Musk, E. (2024) 'People are tired of living in a police state', [Twitter]. Available at: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/5678901234567890123 (Accessed: 25 November 2024).
Trump, D. (2024) 'I'll tell you afterwards', The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/trump-press-conference-2024 (Accessed: 25 November 2024).