LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer In his first public comments on Friday since Labour swept to power after more than a decade in opposition, the prime minister said he would lead a “government of service” with a mission to regenerate the nation.
In his first speech outside No 10 Downing Street, Starmer acknowledged that many people had become disillusioned and sceptical about politics but said he and his colleagues would work to restore trust in the government.
“My government will fight every day until you start believing again,” Starmer said, as supporters cheered outside 10 Downing Street.
British Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the ruling Conservative Party suffered a major defeat in the UK general election while the opposition Labour Party won.
“The work for change starts immediately,” he said. “We will rebuild Britain… brick by brick, we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity.”
In a ruthless performance of British politics, Starmer took over Downing Street about two hours after the Conservative leader was sworn in. Rishi Sunak He and his family left the house, and the King accepted his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party.
“Today is a difficult day, but I leave this office feeling honoured to have served as Prime Minister of the greatest country in the world,” Sunak said in his farewell speech.
Mr Sunak conceded defeat earlier in the day, saying voters had delivered a “harsh verdict”.
Speaking at the same venue where he called the election six weeks ago, Mr Sunak delivered a reflective farewell speech in which he wished Mr Starmer well and acknowledged his own failings.
“I have heard your anger and disappointment and I take responsibility for this defeat,” Mr Sunak said. “To all the Conservative candidates and campaigners who worked tirelessly but failed, I am sorry we were unable to deliver the results you deserved.”
Labour’s victories and challenges
Labour leader Keir Starmer kisses his wife, Victoria, after addressing supporters at the Tate Modern in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (Photo by Associated Press/Khin Chun)
After all but two of the elections, Labour won 412 of the 650-seat House of Commons to the Conservatives’ 121. The Conservatives’ previous lowest result was 156 in 1906.
For Starmer, this is a major victory but it also comes with big challenges. Tired Voters Can’t wait for change against a dark background Economic downturnDistrust in the system is growing and the social fabric is crumbling.
“Nothing has worked for the last 14 years,” said James Erskine, a London voter who was optimistic of change just hours before polls closed. “I see this election as having the potential to bring about dramatic change. That’s my hope.”
And Mr Starmer promised that “change starts now”.
Anand Menon, professor of European politics and diplomacy at King’s College London, said British voters would see a significant change in the political atmosphere from the chaotic “pantomime politics” of recent years.
“I think we need to get used to a relatively stable government again, where ministers remain in power for a fairly long period of time and the government can think beyond short-term goals to medium-term objectives,” he said.
Britain has been through a tumultuous year, some of which the Conservative Party is to blame for, and some of which isn’t, leaving many voters pessimistic about the country’s future. Britain’s departure from the European Union was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which have hit the economy hard. Lockdown violation party The rally, held by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff, sparked widespread outrage.
Mr Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, further shook the economy with a series of huge tax cuts and lasted just 49 days in office. Having lost her seat to Labour, she was one of many senior Conservative leaders ousted in a tough election result.
Increasing poverty, Crumbling infrastructure And overstretched National Health Service It has led to dissatisfaction with a “broken Britain”.
Starmer has begun appointing government ministers who will be responsible for fixing these problems. He announced that former Bank of England economist Rachel Reeves will become Chancellor of the Exchequer, the first woman to hold the position.
The result seems to run counter to the rightward shifts in recent European elections, including in France and Italy, but Britain also has similar populist undercurrents. Nigel Farage He muddied the campaign with his party’s anti-immigration “take our country back” sentiment, undermining Conservative support and even taking votes away from Labour.
Conservative votes plummet as smaller parties gain ground
The result was a disaster for the Conservative party, with voters punishing it for presiding over 14 years of austerity, Brexit, the pandemic, political scandal and infighting.
The historic defeat gave the party the fewest seats it has won in its two-century history, leaving it weakened and in turmoil and setting off an immediate election to replace Mr Sunak, who has announced he will step down as leader.
In a sign of fragile public sentiment and anger at the system, the new parliament is likely to be the most divided and ideologically diverse in years, with smaller parties, including centrists, winning millions of votes. LDP and Farage’s Reform UK. The party won four seats, including Mr Farage’s in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, helping him secure his MP seat at his eighth attempt.
The Liberal Democrats won about 70 seats with a slightly lower share of the vote than the Reform Party because votes were allocated more efficiently. In Britain’s single-seat constituency system, the candidate who receives the most votes in each constituency wins.
of Green Party It gained four seats, up from one before the election.
The biggest loser was the Scottish National Party, which held the majority of Scotland’s 57 seats before the election but was on the verge of losing most of them to Labour.
The Labour Party is cautious but reliable
More than 50 countries will hold elections in 2024
Labour failed to thrill people with promises to grow the stagnant economy, invest in infrastructure and make the UK a “clean energy superpower”.
But the party’s cautious, safety-first campaign got the desired results: it won the backing of much of the business community and traditionally conservative newspapers, including the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid The Sun, which praised Starmer for “pulling the party back to the centre of British politics”.
The failure of conservatives
Meanwhile the Conservative campaign has been plagued by gaffes, with Mr Sunak getting off to an inauspicious start by getting soaked in the rain. Announced Outside 10 Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: I came home early From a ceremony held in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Several Conservative politicians close to Sunak used inside information to Place a bet before the election date was announced.
In Henley-on-Thames, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of London, voters like retiree Patricia Mulcahy felt people wanted something different — an area that has long voted Conservative but has now switched to the Liberal Democrats.
“Younger generations are much more interested in change,” Mulcahy said ahead of the election results, “but whoever wins will have a tough job ahead of them. It’s not going to be easy.”
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Associated Press writers Danica Kirka, Pan Pilas, Poppy Askham and Bella Zanderski in London and Tian McLeod Ji in Henley-on-Thames contributed.
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