It was Independence Day in the U.S., but in the UK, July 4 was decision day as voters went to the polls. And the results of the general election today show that the country has overwhelmingly voted for a change of government, with the Conservative Party experiencing a crushing defeat to the Labour Party.
In a well-orchestrated series of events that show the constitutional monarchy in full-swing, King Charles received both the outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers this morning at Buckingham Palace. First was outgoing PM and leader of the Conservative Party Rishi Sunak. He arrived at 11 a.m. with his wife Akshata Murty for a private audience with the King during which he tendered his resignation.
Around an hour later, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer arrived. “The King received in Audience The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement just before 12:30 in the UK. “Sir Keir accepted His Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
The process of the King appointing the Prime Minister is known as kissing hands, but hand-kissing does not actually take place any more. While the British monarch no longer has any political power, they have the personal prerogative under the system of constitutional monarchy to appoint a Prime Minister. Despite the results of the election becoming clear overnight, Keir Starmer only officially became Prime Minister after his meeting with the King.
In a speech outside 10 Downing Street just after returning from Buckingham Palace, Starmer declared that the country has “voted decisively for change, for national renewal and return of politics to public service.” Sir Keir, who is a Sir because he was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for his work as head of the Crown Prosecution Service before he became a politician, is King Charles’s third Prime Minister; however, he is the first to be appointed by him after a general election. In the UK, the Prime Minister can change between general elections if the governing party changes its leader.
The King’s first Prime Minister was Conservative Party leader Liz Truss who was appointed by Queen Elizabeth just two days before her death in September 2022. His second was Rishi Sunak who took over as leader of the Conservative Party just over a month later.
In a British general election, votes are cast across the country for representatives to become members of parliament in the House of Commons. The political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons then forms a government and their leader is Prime Minister. Today’s results show that, with two seats left to be declared, the Labour Party had won 412 seats and the Conservative Party 121, with other parties and independent candidates making up the rest of the 650 seats.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.
