Sir Keir Starmer is poised to become the UK’s first Labour prime minister since 2010, following his party’s overwhelming general election win.
Labour is making a comeback with a commanding parliamentary majority of 174, thanks to a dramatic collapse in Conservative support.
Sir Keir will be officially appointed by the King at Buckingham Palace later today, succeeding Tory leader Rishi Sunak. He is set to deliver his inaugural address as Prime Minister from Downing Street.
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In a brief farewell speech outside No 10, Mr. Sunak pledged to stay on as his party’s leader until a new leader is chosen. He expressed regret to the defeated Tory candidates and acknowledged the public’s dissatisfaction, stating, “I have heard your anger, your disappointment.”
Sir Keir is expected to start appointing his new cabinet on Friday afternoon, with their first meeting scheduled for Saturday. Labour’s triumph can be attributed largely to a significant 20-point decline in Conservative support, resulting in the Tories losing 250 seats and dropping to 121, a historic low. This marks a remarkable reversal for Labour, which had its worst showing in terms of seats—202—at the last election in 2019 under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Although Labour’s share of the national vote only increased by around 2%, the party secured 412 seats with two yet to be declared, achieving a result nearly matching the historic 179-seat majority won by Tony Blair in 1997. The increase in vote share was driven entirely by a 17-point surge in support in Scotland, where Labour regained its position as the largest party, while the SNP fell from 48 to just nine seats.
It was also a strong night for smaller parties. The Liberal Democrats won 71 seats, marking their best performance in a century. Nigel Farage will be one of four MPs for Reform UK after a successful night for the new party.
Sir Keir led a cautious campaign, with Labour making few new policy pledges but maintaining a large polling lead over the Conservatives since the election was called in May by the outgoing Tory PM Rishi Sunak. This lead remained steady following the tumultuous tenure of Liz Truss, who lost her previously safe seat of South West Norfolk.
Despite Labour’s decisive overall victory, the party lost several former strongholds to independent candidates with pro-Gaza platforms. One of the most surprising outcomes was shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth losing his Leicester South seat, which had a majority of over 22,000.
Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire was defeated in Bristol Central by the Greens, who celebrated their most successful election night with four seats, up from the one they previously held. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, a prominent figure in the campaign, saw his majority in Ilford North reduced from more than 9,000 to just 528.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, running as an independent after being barred by Sir Keir from standing for the party again, retained his North Islington seat, defeating Labour’s official candidate by 7,247 votes.
Labour’s campaign was built around a manifesto focused on revitalizing the UK’s sluggish economic growth through planning system reforms and increasing attractiveness for inward investment. However, party leaders acknowledge the challenges posed by the current economic climate and public finance issues.
The party also committed to overhauling UK employment law, renationalizing nearly all passenger rail services, establishing a state-owned energy investment and generation company, and boosting green investment.
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