Last updated on July 5, 2024 by 247 News Around The World
- Labor wins landslide victory in UK general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule
- Keir Starmer to become new Prime Minister, vowing to 'rebuild Britain'
- Rishi Sunak concedes defeat and will step down as leader of the Conservative Party
- Gains for other parties including the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party
- Challenges for Starmer include tackling economic issues and balancing domestic and international priorities
The UK has a new leader. Keir Starmer's Labor Party won big in the recent general election. They won a decisive victory.
The Conservative Party lost power after 14 years of government. During this time, five different prime ministers led the country. Rishi Sunak was the most recent.
Sunak took responsibility for the result. He apologized to colleagues who lost seats. He spoke briefly at 10 Downing Street on a rainy day. Sunak said he will step down as party leader in the coming weeks.
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir greeted cheering Labor supporters in Downing Street. He promised to begin a period of “national renewal”. He said he will put “country first, party second.”
“For too long we ignored the fact that millions of people were falling into worse situations,” he said. “I want to tell these people clearly: not this time.”
“Changing countries is not as simple as flipping a switch. The world is more unpredictable now. This will take time, but change will begin immediately.”
This is a big change from 2019, when Labor suffered its worst defeat in almost 100 years under Jeremy Corbyn.
Former Conservative minister Robert Buckland lost his seat. He described it as “electoral armageddon” for the Tories.
For the Conservatives, this is their worst result in almost 200 years. An ideological battle over the future direction of the party is expected in the coming weeks.
Election night brought significant results. This is what they mean.
Labor experienced a massive victory
The British House of Commons has 650 members of parliament (MPs). Each MP represents a specific area called a constituency.
So far, Labor has won 412 seats, while the Conservatives have won just 120 seats. The centre-right Liberal Democrats won 71 seats. Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit Party, will win four seats, and the left-wing Green Party is also expected to win four seats.
Labour's rise was partly due to the decline of the Scottish National Party (SNP). The SNP has faced controversies over its finances, which have led to a significant drop in its seats, now holding just nine.
Labour's expected 170-seat majority in the House of Commons is a substantial number, although still short of the 179-seat majority the party won under Tony Blair in the 1997 election.
By comparison, the Conservatives' victory in the 2019 election under Boris Johnson, which was considered a good performance, gave them a majority of 80 seats.
A reminder: If a party has a majority, it means it does not need the support of other parties to pass laws. The bigger the majority, the easier it is to rule.
However, Labor faced notable defeats in some areas with large Muslim populations, where independent candidates campaigning on pro-Gaza platforms won.
There has been growing pressure on Labor over its stance on the conflict. In February, the party called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, but critics argued that the party was slow to take that position.
Many centrist groups in different nations watched this vote closely. They worried that supporting Israel might alienate some of their own voters. People often feel very strongly about world events and political affairs. Simple language helps explain complex topics in a clear way for all readers to understand.
See also | Historic Labor victory: Keir Starmer occupies 10 Downing Street
