LONDON, July 5: Keir Starmer on Friday officially became Britain’s new prime minister after an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, hours after his Labour Party won the general elections.
The 61-year-old Labour leader arrived at the Palace with his wife Victoria Starmer after leading his party to a landslide victory in a landmark UK general election with a gain of over 200 seats, as outgoing leader Rishi Sunak conceded defeat with his Conservative Party suffering its worst election defeat in history.
Earlier, Rishi Sunak, 44, resigned as prime minister after meeting the monarch.
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Starmer has promised a phase of “national renewal” under his premiership.
As Labour crossed the halfway mark of 650 constituencies in the early hours of Friday to clinch the minimum 326 required for a majority in Parliament, Starmer stepped up to make his victory speech in London: “Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest.
“A mandate like this comes with a great responsibility. Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together. National renewal. Whoever you are, wherever you start in life, if you work hard, if you play by the rules, this country should give you a fair chance to get on. It should always respect your contribution and we have to restore that,” he said.
With Labour surpassing the 326-seat threshold needed for a parliamentary majority, Starmer emphasised the need to restore trust and unity across the country. “Whoever you are, wherever you start in life, if you work hard, if you play by the rules, this country should give you a fair chance to get on,” he asserted.
For Starmer, it’s a massive triumph that will bring huge challenges, as he faces a weary electorate impatient for change against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric.
“Nothing has gone well in the last 14 years,” said London voter James Erskine, who was optimistic for change in the hours before polls closed. “I just see this as the potential for a seismic shift, and that’s what I’m hoping for.”
And that’s what Starmer promised, saying “change begins now.”
Britain has experienced a run of turbulent years — some of it of the Conservatives’ own making and some of it not — that has left many voters pessimistic about their country’s future. The U.K. divorce from the European Union followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine battered the economy, while lockdown-breaching parties held by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff caused widespread anger. (PTI)
