Keir Starmer set to emerge UK’s PM in sweeping Labour victory

By Ologeh Joseph Chibu

Mr Keir Starmer of the Labour Party, (LP)is now set to become the next UK Prime Minister after his party won a landslide victory, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader was excited after his party won 412 out of 650 seats in the Westminster parliament, with 34 percent of the vote. Two seats remain undeclared as of early Friday morning.

The Conservative Party, which has governed Britain through economic austerity, Brexit, the Covid pandemic, and five different prime ministers, suffered a catastrophic defeat. Their seat count plummeted from 371 to just 121, marking their worst performance in nearly 200 years. They garnered 24 percent of the vote, a sharp 20-point drop from Boris Johnson’s victory in the December 2019 election.

The centre-left Liberal Democrats had a strong showing, increasing their seat count by 63 to reach 71, with 12 percent of the vote. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, gained four seats with 14 percent of the vote. The UK’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system tends to disadvantage parties without concentrated voter bases in specific constituencies.

The Scottish National Party, which advocates for Scottish independence, faced a dismal night, losing 38 seats and retaining only nine. The Green Party improved its standing, winning four seats compared to one in 2019, with 7 percent of the vote.

Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged responsibility for the defeat. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Friday morning, he announced his intention to submit his resignation to the King, paving the way for Starmer’s appointment as prime minister. Sunak expressed his acceptance of the voters’ message, stating: “I have heard your anger and disappointment and I take responsibility for this loss.” He also expressed his pain at seeing many Conservative colleagues lose their seats and described Starmer as a “decent, public-spirited man whom I respect.”

Several prominent Conservatives lost their seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, and Liz Truss, who briefly served as prime minister in 2022 before resigning due to economic policy missteps that unsettled the bond markets.

In addition, three independent candidates focusing on opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza won seats, as did former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who ran as an independent after being expelled from the party by Starmer following an antisemitism crisis.