LONDON - The Labour Party has won a landslide victory in the UK general election, sweeping into power after 14 years of Conservative rule on the back of a wave of public disillusionment.
Party leader Keir Starmer took over as prime minister on Friday after King Charles III formally asked him to form a new government, with the politician promising the British public he would steer the country towards “calmer waters.”
Starmer, 61, begins his term with what is one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in British history and is expected to introduce a program of far-reaching reforms.
Addressing the nation from outside 10 Downing Street for the first time as prime minister, Starmer had one overarching message: Change starts now.
“It is surely clear to everyone that our country needs a bigger reset, a rediscovery of who we are,” he said, cautioning that the national renewal he was promising would take time.
“Changing a country is not like flipping a switch, the world is now a more volatile place,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party recorded the worst result in its history, prompting some commentators to observe that the overall election result was as much about British voters booting out the Conservatives as voting in Labour.
The party lost more than 250 of the seats it had held in the 650-seat Parliament since 2019. There were high-profile casualties, with the short-lived former Prime Minister Liz Truss and several cabinet ministers being booted out by voters.
Conservative leader and, as of Friday morning, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took responsibility for the electoral wipeout, apologizing to voters in his farewell address.
“I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change; and yours is the only judgment that matters,” he said on the doorstep of the famous 10 Downing Street residence.
Sunak announced he would resign as the leader of the Conservative Party as soon as arrangements were made to find his successor.
“I have heard your anger, your disappointment. And I take responsibility for this loss,” he told voters as his wife Akshata Murty stood by.
The handover of power is a swift – and sometimes brutal – process in the UK, with the outgoing prime minister replaced within hours of losing the election.
In keeping with tradition, Sunak left Downing Street for the last time immediately after his speech and was driven the short distance to Buckingham Palace to meet the King and hand in his resignation.
Having conceded the election in the early hours of Friday, Sunak was out of the job by midday.
An hour or so later, election winner Starmer arrived for a brief audience with the King. Leaving the palace as the newly minted prime minister, he then headed straight to Downing Street.