LONDON — A change election in the United Kingdom has taken place as the center-left Labour Party won a huge landslide, putting a crushing end to the 14-year rule of the Conservative Party, which suffered a record devastating defeat — perhaps the worst in its history.
Voters have inflicted a historic wipe out on the Tory party that led Britain through Brexit and, with almost all results called, Labour has won over 400 seats, gaining a huge majority of more than 190, comparable to Tony Blair’s sweeping victory in 1997. The Tories meanwhile have lost hundreds of seats, on track for the worst result since the party’s founding in the 1830s.
Labour’s Keir Starmer became prime minister Friday morning after Rishi Sunak resigned in front of King Charles III and Starmer met him immediately after to ask for permission to form a government, a formality that was granted by the reigning monarch.
Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a victory rally at the Tate Modern in London early on July 5, 2024.
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Starmer is now the the first Labour leader to win an election since Tony Blair.
The result is notable as a win for centrist progressives amid the far-right populist surge in the U.S. and many other major Western countries as the British electorate voted overwhelming to sweep out the Tories, blaming their anger at the crumbling state of Britain’s public services and years of political chaos following Brexit.
Starmer only became the Labour leader in 2019 and has dragged his party back to the center ground, wrestling it away from the influence of Bernie Sanders-like left-wing former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer kisses his wife Victoria during a victory rally at the Tate Modern in London early on July 5, 2024.
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Starmer ran on a platform to “end the chaos” and to begin slowly reinvigorating Britain’s services and infrastructure. He has also promised to move away from culture war debates, including Brexit, saying the U.K. will not rejoin in his lifetime.
The Tories, meanwhile, are now enduring what one of its leading figures described last night as an “electoral apocalypse.”
Many of the party’s best-known figures lost their seats on Thursday, including a record number of cabinet ministers, including former Prime Minister Liz Truss who was unceremoniously swept aside, as well as a lead campaigner of Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty leave 10 Downing Street following Labour’s landslide election victory on July 5, 2024, in London.
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Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held his own seat but led a weak campaign after choosing to call the snap election six weeks ago, making repeated gaffes — most damagingly returning home early from D-Day commemorations to do a TV interview. Sunak, the last of five consecutive conservative prime ministers since 2016, lasted just 18 months in the job.
Labour has a number of challenges in front of them now as they attempt to govern the country as the Tories suffered such a massive defeat, in part because of the rise of a far right anti-immigrant populist party, Reform, led by Brexiteer-in-chief, Nigel Farage, who finally was elected to parliament, took huge chunks of the Tory vote.
Also concerning for Labour, despite their enormous majority, the party won a record-low proportion of the total popular vote, only around 35%. That suggests despite a strong desire for change and to give Labour a chance, there is little overall enthusiasm for Starmer.
Britain’s King Charles III welcomes Britain’s incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer during an audience at Buckingham Palace in London, July 5, 2024.
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Starmer now faces a challenge to meet the potential of his huge majority. Unlike when Blair came to power, the U.K. is facing a far more difficult economic outlook and ominous state finances, making fixing Britain’s struggling public services daunting.
Starmer, however, has acknowledged as much, saying throughout the campaign — and following his victory — that improvement will be slow and hard at first. He has promised to hit the ground running, pledging to cut short parliament’s summer recess to start work on his agenda, with Labour saying they will focus immediately on issues like housing, as well as confronting an urgent crisis of overcrowding in prisons.
The more modest promises reflect the more difficult realities Britain faces, but is also a marked change in tone from right wing populist forces rising elsewhere across Europe.
In a stunning turn of events, the Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has been elected as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following a historic defeat for the Conservative Party in the recent general election. The election results have sent shockwaves through the political landscape, with many experts and analysts predicting a major shift in the country’s direction under Starmer’s leadership.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer and Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras, has been praised for his calm and measured approach to politics, as well as his commitment to social justice and equality. His election as Prime Minister marks a significant moment in British history, as he becomes the first Labour leader to hold the position since Gordon Brown in 2010.
The Conservative Party’s defeat comes as a surprise to many, as they had been in power for over a decade under the leadership of Boris Johnson. Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister was marked by controversy and division, with his handling of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic coming under heavy criticism from both the public and opposition parties.
Starmer’s victory is seen as a repudiation of Johnson’s leadership style and policies, with many voters expressing a desire for change and a more inclusive and progressive government. Starmer has promised to prioritize issues such as healthcare, education, and climate change, while also working to unite a deeply divided country.
As Prime Minister, Starmer faces a number of challenges, including navigating the aftermath of Brexit, rebuilding the economy in the wake of the pandemic, and addressing social inequalities. However, his supporters believe that his experience and leadership qualities make him well-equipped to tackle these issues and lead the country towards a brighter future.
The election of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister represents a new chapter in British politics, one that promises to bring about positive change and a renewed sense of hope for the future. Only time will tell what lies ahead for the UK under his leadership, but one thing is certain – the country is entering a new era with a leader who is determined to make a difference.
