Labour Party's Keir Starmer, on Thursday, won the United Kingdom's general election by a landslide, and will become the next prime minister of the country.
Labour has been declared official winner of the poll after surpassing the required 326 parliamentary seats.
“Change begins now. It feels good, I have to be honest,” Starmer told a cheering crowd in central London.
Rishi Sunak, outgoing prime minister, said he takes responsibility for the loss of the Conservative Party.
“Britain has delivered a sobering verdict. On this difficult night, I’d like to express my gratitude to the people of Richmond and Northallerton constituency for your continued support,” Sunak said.
“The Labour Party has won this general election and I’ve called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.
“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future.
“The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn… and I take responsibility for the loss.
“To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities, I am sorry.”
Labour piled up gains well beyond what the swing towards them might have suggested thanks to the remarkable efficiency of their vote – and the way Reform devoured votes that might once have belonged to the Tories.
The BBC estimated that the swing away from the Conservatives in the seats they lost to Labour was 26% – with far more of it towards Reform than towards Labour. Early in the night, Channel 4’s political editor, Gary Gibbon, described it as a “loveless landslide”.
Starmer’s vast majority is built on what may end up as a smaller vote share than Jeremy Corbyn achieved in 2017, and less than 2% higher than it was in 2019, Guardian reported.
But it is also true that Labour fought the election in front of it, after a gruelling defeat in 2019 that many doubted the party could come back from – and their success on a relatively small vote share is arguably vindication of that strategy, and of Starmer and his team’s recognition of the political landscape they faced. Labour is now the largest party in England, Scotland and Wales – the first party to achieve that in nearly a quarter of a century. It twice broke the record for swing towards it from the Tories, in Swindon North and Telford. And Starmer is only the fourth Labour leader to win an election in the last 80 years.
Leave a Reply