LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, He vowed on Friday to reverse the distrust that had grown under 14 years of Conservative rule and said he would lead an urgent task of national renewal after his Labor party’s landslide victory.
That would be a tall order.
Rising poverty, crumbling infrastructure, Underdeveloped economy and overdeveloped economy National Health Service contributed to widespread discontent and gripes about a “broken Britain”. The defeat was the worst ever for the Conservatives.
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the opposition Labor Party has won the British election after his Conservative Party suffered a crushing defeat.
“There is no doubt that we will rebuild Britain,” Starmer said in his first official remarks as supporters cheered and waved Union Jack flags outside 10 Downing St.
Starmer said it would take time, but his government would “get the NHS back on its feet,” secure borders, improve public safety and reduce electricity bills – while relying on domestic clean energy.
Among the crowd gathered to witness the change of government was David McGeever, who said Starmer needed to be quick to provide details of his plans, which were often absent during the campaign.
“From today, Keir Starmer needs to come up with some real policies and implement them,” McGeever said. “We’ll know in time what we’re dealing with. But yes, clearly the Tories have set a monumentally low bar and you may have fallen over it.
Starmer no. Before coming to 10, his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, He said goodbye in a reflective speech from the same place where he called for the snap election that led to his ouster.
“I heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss,” Sunak said. “To all Conservative candidates and campaigners who have worked tirelessly but without success, I regret that we cannot give you the credit your efforts deserve.”
Torn by scandals, tumultuous leadership changes and global problems beyond its control, Sunak’s party suffered the biggest defeat in its two-century history.
Labor leader Keir Starmer kisses his wife Victoria after speaking to supporters at the Tate Modern in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
With results counted for all but one constituency, Labor won 412 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. The Conservatives had just 121 – down from 365 seats in 2019. The defeat surpassed even their winning of just 156 seats in the 1906 election.
The Tory rule was marked by Britain’s messy divorce from the European Union, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all of which hit the economy.
When Sunak took office in October 2022, he was the third prime minister in less than two months and began to bring stability to a party in crisis.
Widespread anger over parties thrown by then-prime minister Boris Johnson’s staff in defiance of his own lockdown rules led to his departure. His successor, Liz Truss, left office 49 days after shaking up the economy with drastic tax cuts.
Truss, who lost his seat to Labour, was one of the senior Tories kicked out in the stark election reckoning.
Starmer began appointing government ministers who were responsible for helping to turn those problems around. He announced that Rachel Reeves, a former UK economist, would be the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the first woman to hold the post.
A huge win will bring big challenges for Starmer. Noting the “gap between the sacrifices made by the people and the service they receive from politicians,” he admitted, “has led to weariness in the heart of a nation, a drain on hope, soul, etc.” Hope for a better future.”
The question is whether Starmer can fix public services quickly enough to meet expectations, said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.
“The National Health Service is in crisis,” Bale said. “It’s going to take a lot of money to restore its fortunes. The question is where Labor is going to get that money and how quickly it can do it.
In a sign of volatile public mood and anger at the system, the incoming parliament will be more divided and ideologically diverse than it has been in years.
Smaller parties, including the centrist, won lakhs of votes Liberal Democrats, He won 71 seats – 60 seats more than last election. The Green Party It won four seats from one seat before the election. The Scottish National Party, which had won most of Scotland’s 57 seats before the election, suffered a crushing defeat.
While the overall result appears to be fueling recent right-wing electoral swings in Europe, including France and Italy, the same populist underpinnings flow in Britain.
Reform UK, party Nigel FarageRunning on his party’s anti-immigrant “take back our country” sentiment, he won five seats in his eighth attempt, including Farage’s in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea.
However, the reform actually won more votes for the Liberal Democrats and reduced support for the Conservatives and even captured some voters from Labour.
However, its votes were not distributed as efficiently as the centrist Liberal Democrats, so it could not win as many seats. In Britain’s electoral system, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins.
Labour’s path to victory was the result of a cautious, defense-first campaign without making mistakes.
Starmer may lack charisma, but his pledges to boost the economy, invest in infrastructure and fix broken social services have resonated. The party also won business support, including endorsements from traditionally conservative newspapers Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun tabloid, which praised Starmer for “dragging his party to the center of British politics”.
Relatively conservatives were hurt by missteps, including Sunak’s decision Bail in advance on memorials D-Day in France marks the 80th anniversary of the invasion.
The campaign got off to a rocky start in May when Chung stood in the pouring rain outside 10 Downing St. Election date.
Six weeks later, on a day with intermittent rain reminiscent of his election announcement, Sunak stopped by to say goodbye, offering his best wishes for his “dignified, public-spirited” successor despite the differences in the campaign. He said he would step down from the leadership role.
More than 50 countries will go to the polls in 2024
Two hours later, Starmer stood in the same spot. He thanked Sunak for his dedication and noted that he was the first British Prime Minister of Asian descent.
He then asked those who supported him and those who did not to join him in the task of national renewal.
“Our work is urgent,” he said. “We’re starting it today.”
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Associated Press reporters Kwon Ha, Danika Girga and Pan Bylas contributed to this report.
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