United Kingdom's Labour Party Thursday ended the 14-year rule of the Conservatives, securing seats well above the majority-mark. Party leader Keir Starmer, who is on course to be the new prime minister, thanked the British people and said the country has to "return politics to public service". He also said the people are ready for change and ending the politics of performance.
"The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age. It is why we've campaigned so hard on demonstrating we are fit for public service. We have to return politics to public service. Show that politics can be a force for good," Starmer said in his acceptance speech after the current UK PM Rishi Sunak conceded defeat.
Starmer, 61, in his victory speech after winning from Holborn and St Pancras said: "The change begins right here because this is your democracy, your community, your future. You have voted. It's now time for us to deliver."
He also thanked all those involved in the count and his fellow candidates and said the heart of our democracy beats not in Westminster or Whitehall, but in town halls, community centres and in the hands of people who hold the vote. "Change begins in this community with the people who came together to make life better," he added.
Rishi Sunak ousted, Conservatives lose
The Conservative Party, which was in power since 2010, saw a devastating defeat in this year's elections. Rishi Sunak, the country's first British Indian-origin prime minister, took responsibility for the Conservative Party's defeat. "I am sorry," he told the defeaters.
Sunak, however, held on to his own Richmond and Northallerton seat in northern England with 23,059 votes.
"The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," Sunak said, acknowledging the “sobering verdict” handed to his party.
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‘Change begins now’, says Starmer after landslide win; Sunak takes responsibility for loss
"Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides and it is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future," he said.
What led to Conservative Party's defeat?
The Conservative Party was pegged to lose the elections, according to several opinion polls before the results were even declared, mostly because of the economic turmoil in the country. Living standards have fell with real wages down and food prices up ever since 2016, when UK voted to leave the European Union.
Brexit -- which was formalised on January 31, 2020 -- was followed by uncertainty within the party. After David Cameron quit as the PM in 2016, opposing the move, four other Conservative PMs followed -- each with a tumultuous journey. Cameron was followed by Theresa May, who called for snap elections in 2017, which resulted in a hung Parliament.
May stepped down in 2019 after her drafts on Brexit deal failed to pass Parliament. She was succeeded by Boris Johnson, who resigned in July 2022, following a series of scandals, including the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic. He was followed by Liz Truss, who had a short six-week stint as Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak came to power next, failing to save the Conservatives from defeat.
What next for Labour Party?
In line with procedure, Keir Starmer will become the prime minister after a ceremony during which King Charles III will formally ask him to form a new government.
Starmer has vowed change, saying that the Labour Party's priority would be to boost economic growth. However, Starmer also faces several challenges.
On the domestic front, the Labour Party faces a job-loss challenge with the Tata Steel closing down its carbon-intensive blast furnaces. While the old government has signed a deal to provide a 500 million pound support package to help the company build a lower-carbon electric arc furnace, Unions are hoping for a better deal.
Water pollution and a strike by junior doctors over the strained health service sector are also issues Starmer would have to tackle with.
Among the global challenges, Starmer has to steer the UK's position on Gaza and Ukraine, where war continues to rage on.
Starmer has also said that they will look at removing trade barriers with the EU to help smaller countries.
