Labour Party’s Keir Starmer wins UK Elections
The Labour Party has won the United Kingdom general elections with a thumping majority and their leader Keir Starmer is all set to become the new prime minister replacing incumbent PM Rishi Sunak of Conservatives Party. The English Crypto enthusiasts community is waiting with bated breath to see if the new PM Starmer would bring in any radical changes in the crypto landscape.
However, in the run up to elections, both Labour and Conservative Party remained largely silent on the issue of cryptocurrency, much to the dismay of local crypto enthusiasts.Even the recent debate between Labour candidate Keir Starmer and incumbent PM Sunak had no mention of crypto.
On Friday morning, as counting commenced for the UK general elections, Keir Starmer led Labour Party won 407 seats thereby crossing the 326 majority mark. In his victory speech, an elated Starmer heralded a new era of change, affirming Labour’s readiness to govern and serve the nation’s working people. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a gracious concession, acknowledged the electorate’s resounding verdict, signaling a pivotal shift in British politics.
The Labour Party will be coming to power in the U.K. after a decade so market experts are predicting a major overhaul in economic policies including that of digital assets and crypto spaces. .
Stance of Conservative Party on Crypto
The Conservative Party, with its extensive time in office, has taken a decisive stance on cryptocurrency where they have claimed to establish the UK as a ‘crypto hub’, passing laws to regulate crypto activities and initiating consultations for future regulations, including those concerning stablecoins.
Bim Afolami, the former Economic Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, actively engaged in fintech conferences, promising forthcoming government legislation on stablecoins.
Stance of Labour Party on Crypto
Notably, Labour signaled support for the Bank of England’s digital pound initiative, a decision slated for consideration by 2025-2026 pending parliamentary legislation. In its manifesto, the party has mentioned that it will, “embrace innovation and fintech” as the future of financial services, turn the UK into a global standard setter in AI, define a roadmap for open finance and welcome securities tokenization and a central bank digital currency. The Labour party had also promised to establish a “regulatory sandbox” for financial products to reach the underserved. However, the word crypto itself is noticeably absent from the party’s manifesto.
As new PM Starmer takes the chair, the coming months will give us a clearer picture of whether his party is in mood to clear the ambiguity around the crypto regulations in U.K.