Britain is beset by problems and has chosen Sir Keir Starmer & Labour to solve them – for all our sakes he must succeed
Now Sir Keir must deliver
NO matter who won your vote, yesterday’s handover of power showed our democracy at its finest.
Rishi Sunak’s resignation speech outside No10 was a masterclass in grace, humility and generosity to his opponent.
He mentioned his own achievements, apologised for his mistakes and paid tribute to new PM Keir Starmer as “a decent, public-spirited man I respect”.
Like the true patriot he is, Mr Sunak said Sir Keir’s “successes will be our successes” while hailing the British people as “the true source of all our strengths and greatness”.
It was perfectly pitched. So was Sir Keir’s own speech later — praising Mr Sunak’s dedication and outlining Labour’s plan for urgent national renewal. No hint of gloating. No sanctimony about the outgoing Tories.
The transition was seamless. No one denying the result’s validity. No rioting. No bare-chested lunatics in bison hats storming Parliament buildings.
This is how it is done.
For years The Sun has been among Labour’s sternest critics. But we congratulate Sir Keir and urge him to continue as he has begun, governing as a moderate for the whole country.
No mandate for left-wing radicalism
He will know that despite his majority he attracted only 34 per cent of a historically low turnout. Only one in five people of voting age backed Labour. The margin was mainly due to Tory chaos and Reform’s rise.
There is no mandate for left-wing radicalism. Merely for stable competence and fresh ideas.
With Nigel Farage’s party now breathing down his neck, Sir Keir will be under huge pressure to win over public trust by delivering on all his promises.
And he must resist the temptation to pander to the pro-Palestine lobby whose sinister sectarianism cost him five seats. Our new Government cannot give in to that.
We are delighted by the SNP’s demise in Scotland. They have reaped the whirlwind of their own dangerous incompetence and one-eyed obsession with independence. The union looks safe.
It is depressing, however, to see Sinn Fein become Northern Ireland’s biggest party at Westminster.
As for the content of Sir Keir’s speech, his ambition for national “renewal” is commendable. Only time will tell if it is achievable with so little money available and so little clue yet how to raise it.
We are encouraged by his phrases which may jolt the party faithful.
“Country first, party second” is a radical departure for some tribalists. So is a Government that will “tread more lightly on our lives” and govern “unburdened by doctrine” . . . both surely firsts for Labour.
Britain is beset by problems after years of Tory instability and the impact of Covid and war. The country is crying out for solutions and new leadership to provide them.
It has chosen Sir Keir.
For all our sakes he must succeed.
Good luck, Prime Minister.