What we learned from the UK's general election that will shape politics over the coming years

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a landslide victory early Friday in a general election that saw the Conservative Party suffer its biggest defeat ever.

The new government faces huge challenges, including fixing the country's sluggish economic and social malaise resulting in part from the U.K's exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and several Conservative Party scandals.

Here are some things we learned:

For the past 100 years, Britain's two main political parties have garnered the vast majority of votes. In 1951, for example, the Conservatives and Labour netted nearly 97% of the vote combined.

In the decades since, the trend has been clear — down. This election marked a new low, with the two parties combined barely able to muster 60%.

Despite that relatively low share of the vote, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be able to govern with a massive majority in the House of Commons that will make it easier for him to get his legislation through.

That's because in Britain's electoral system, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins even if they don't get a majority. This makes it easier for a party to win a seat on a relatively low share of the vote, especially when votes are spread out among many parties. These include the anti-immigration Reform UK, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.

No election has seen this many Cabinet ministers lose their seats in Parliament, including some who were prospective candidates to replace Rishi Sunak when he steps down as leader of the party.

Among the 11 Cabinet ministers who have lost their seats, perhaps the most consequential is Penny Mordaunt, who gained international notoriety when she held up a large sword throughout much of last year's coronation of King Charles III. She was widely tipped to be a future leader as she has support across the party.

Others included Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.

The casualty with the highest profile wasn't even in the Cabinet. That honor goes to Liz Truss, who was prime minister for just 49 days in the fall of 2022 and whose unfunded tax cuts roiled financial markets and sent borrowing costs for homeowners surging. Sunak, who succeeded Truss, could never shake off the legacy of her premiership.

Four of Labour's candidates lost to independent challengers campaigning on a pro-Palestinian platform in constituencies with big Muslim populations.

The biggest surprise was Jonathan Ashworth, who was expected to be in Starmer's Cabinet but lost his seat in Leicester, a city in central England where a third of the population is Muslim.

Even Starmer, who has been criticized for being slow to back a ceasefire in Gaza, saw his majority in his Holborn and St. Pancras seat reduced as more than 7,000 ballots were cast for an independent candidate who had Gaza at the heart of his campaign.

In 2015 Labour, which had been dominant in Scottish politics for decades, lost all but one of its seats to the pro-independence Scottish National Party.

Thursday's election almost reversed that, with Labour winning the vast majority of seats in Scotland while the SNP lost 38 seats, leaving it with only nine and putting to rest any thoughts of a pro-independence referendum for Scotland any time soon.

The SNP, which governs in Scotland, has had a difficult few years, most notably as a result of a funding scandal that has embroiled former leader Nicola Sturgeon and her husband.

John Swinney, who only became first minister a few weeks ago, pledged a period of “soul searching” and admitted that the party was “not winning the argument" over independence.

The newly elected candidates will officially become members of parliament on Tuesday when the House of Commons returns for the swearing in and oath of allegiance to King Charles III.

When they take their seats on the green benches, the Labour members will sit where the Conservatives have been for the past 14 years, on the right hand side of the speaker of the House. The Conservatives will be the opposition, having come second, and will sit to the left of the speaker.

The other opposition benches will look very different, however. There will be 71 Liberal Democrats, up from the 15 who were there when Parliament was dissolved in May, and four Green members rather than one. There will also be four members of the anti-immigration Reform U.K., including its leader and self-professed political agitator, Nigel Farage, who won a seat in Parliament on his eighth attempt. And the SNP's presence will be much diminished.

Reform, which contested its first election, is already saying the U.K.'s electoral system is unfair and are calling for a change, noting they got 14% of the vote, 2 percentage points more than the Liberal Democrats, but ended up with a far lower number of seats, But the U.K.'s electoral system has always been about getting the votes in the right place.

Follow AP’s coverage of elections around the world: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney adjusts his ear piece at Ice Hall in the Dewars Centre, Perth, during the count in the 2024 General Election, Friday July 5, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, right, lines up on stage with some of the other candidates as they await the result of the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party appears to be headed for a huge majority in the 2024 UK election, an exit poll suggested. The poll released moments after voting closed indicated that Labour leader Keir Starmer will be the country's next prime minister. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Former prime minister Liz Truss looks on as she loses her Norfolk South West seat to Labour at Alive Lynnsport in King's Lynn, Norfolk, during the count in the 2024 General Election, Friday July 5, 2024. Britain’s Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory — but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Former prime minister Liz Truss looks across during the declaration as she loses her Norfolk South West seat to Labour at Alive Lynnsport in King's Lynn, Norfolk, during the count in the 2024 General Election, Friday July 5, 2024. Britain’s Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory — but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

The statues of former British Prime Minister's David Lloyd George, left, and Winston Churchill stand in Parliament Square in Westminster across from the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory — but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

BANGKOK (AP) — Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use.

A health ministry drug control committee approved Friday a proposal to relist cannabis as a narcotic to be only allowed for medical and research purposes. The proposition is set to be submitted to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board this week, and if agreed on, will take effect Jan.1.

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, some carrying potted marijuana plants, gathered at the United Nations headquarters in central Bangkok Monday as they prepared to head to the Government House, nearly 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away.

Prasitchai Nunuan, a representative of a pro-cannabis network of individuals, addressed the protesters, saying that marijuana should be separately regulated by the health ministry instead of criminalizing the plant yet again. He accused the government of outlawing the drug to allow only a few interest groups to benefit from its medical uses.

“This fight for cannabis is not only for medical security or people's rights but also for destroying the monopoly of politicians taking (its) benefits away from the people,” he said.

Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka, a cannabis shop owner in Bangkok and activist, also accused the current Thai Cabinet of allowing politics to manipulate such a decision and called on officials to come up with a policy that benefits the majority of people.

"Who are you to judge what they use it for and how they use it?” she added.

Police barricaded the road leading to the Government House, effectively stopping the protesters from marching ahead. who then set up a camp in the area and announced they would remain in place until the government responded to their demands. An official later received the group’s written petition.

In May, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he wanted to outlaw cannabis again, sparking several protests from advocates who claimed the decision would be damaging to the economy. Legal cannabis has fueled Thailand’s tourism and farming sectors and spawned thousands of cannabis retails ranging from shops, trucks to market stalls all over the country.

Pock Pechthong, a cannabis grower who joined Monday’s march, said while more regulations are needed, a radical rollback will hurt a lot of people who have invested in the business.

“Everybody’s spent a lot of money already. I’m a grower, so our main concern is not being able to grow or use it,” he said.

After cannabis was decriminalized in 2022, it was initially said that it would be allowed only for medicinal use, but in practice, the market remained virtually unregulated, prompting public backlash and concerns over misuse and crime, which the government has cited as reasons for the proposal.

Last month, Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said the ministry conducted an online survey and that no less than 80% of the 111,201 participants approved the ban. However, the results were not publicly shared.

Bhumjaithai Party, headed by Anutin Charnvirakul, spearheaded decriminalizing marijuana in the country and promised at the time farmers in its stronghold in the impoverished northeast that it would be a new cash crop.

Anutin, who headed the health ministry in 2022, pushed for an amendment to the Narcotics Law, dropping cannabis from the list of controlled substances. Currently the interior minister, the party head has publically opposed the proposed ban, saying while Bhumjaithai does not support recreational uses of cannabis, the rollback will impact the cannabis industry.

Associated Press writers Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, march to Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, hold cannabis plant in front of Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cannabis activist joins a march outside Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, holding cannabis plant march to Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cannabis activist holds a cannabis plant during a march to Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Police stand guard as cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, holding cannabis plant gather in front of Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, hold cannabis plant as they gather in front of Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, hold cannabis plant as they gather in front of Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, hold cannabis plant as they march to Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, hold cannabis plant as they march to Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 8, 2024. Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)