Following a historic landslide win for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom's general election, Sir Keir Starmer officially became Britain’s new prime minister on Friday, ending 14 years of Conservative government.
“Now our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics to public service,” Starmer said during his first speech as prime minister outside No. 10 Downing Street in London.
As polls and experts largely predicted, Starmer’s center-left party soared to victory in Thursday’s election, with Labor securing a majority of 412 seats in the British House of Commons.
Meanwhile, the Conservative party suffered its worst performance in almost 200 years according to reports from the BBC, scooping just 121 of the 650 seats available and witnessing several of its high-profile cabinet members ousted from their seats. This included former Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose 44 days in office made her Britain's shortest-serving elected leader.
The party’s outgoing leader, Rishi Sunak, acknowledged the decisive defeat before formally resigning, telling voters that he had heard their anger and disappointment and that he took “responsibility for this loss.”
“You have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change and yours is the only judgment that matters,” Sunak said in his final speech to the nation as prime minister.
The results follow growing public dissatisfaction toward the Conservatives over their handling of key issues such as the costs of living crisis and immigration levels. A wave of scandals within the party, including the infamous “Partygate," when the-Prime Minister Boris Johnson held parties at No. 10 Downing St. during the COVID-19 pandemic, also strengthened calls from the Labor Party for voters to usher in a new era of leadership.
“Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. The world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while, but have no doubt the work of change will begin immediately,” Starmer vowed at the end of his address.
