PeakNews Online
London, UK – This afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer entered 10 Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister, vowing to “immediately” begin efforts to “rebuild Britain” and preparing to make key Cabinet appointments.
The Labour leader was greeted with applause by staff as he walked through the iconic black door, accompanied by his wife, Victoria, following his first address to the nation as the new premier.
Addressing the nation, the 61-year-old acknowledged the “weariness at the heart of the nation” following his so-called “loveless landslide” in the general election. He emphasized his commitment to restoring the values of “service” in politics and acknowledged skepticism about his ability to improve the country, stating, “My government will fight every day until you believe again.”
Earlier, jubilant party activists had cheered Starmer’s arrival at Downing Street after he was formally installed as Britain’s 58th Prime Minister by King Charles. Sir Keir and Victoria received a rapturous welcome upon their return from Buckingham Palace, where he had an audience with His Majesty around noon, shortly after Rishi Sunak resigned.
At Buckingham Palace, the couple was welcomed by the King and Queen’s principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, and Charles’s equerry, Royal Navy Commander William Thornton. After a brief 20-minute visit, Sir Keir was appointed Prime Minister and left for Downing Street.
A statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed: “The King received in Audience The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration. Sir Keir accepted His Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
Sir Keir’s majority in the election stands at 174, just shy of Tony Blair’s 179-seat majority in 1997. The Conservative Party now holds 121 seats, their worst performance since 1906, with only two constituencies left to declare. The Liberal Democrats inflicted further damage on the Tories, securing a record 71 seats as the Reform Party drew millions of votes, finishing second in nearly a hundred constituencies but only securing four MPs of their own.
Despite Labour’s victory, which has been termed a “loveless landslide” and a “super meh-jority,” the party received only about one in three votes nationwide. Polling experts noted that Labour’s vote share of 33.8 percent is likely lower than any of Tony Blair’s general election victories and even less than the 40 percent achieved by hard-left Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2017. It’s also lower than the 36.1 percent vote share David Cameron secured for the Conservatives in 2010, which resulted in a hung parliament.
Some newly-elected Labour MPs have suggested that the public might now consider overhauling Britain’s voting system following the party’s triumph. Meanwhile, Corbyn’s allies claimed that Starmer won “by default” due to the dramatic collapse in Conservative support.
Just an hour before Sir Keir’s appointment at the Palace, Rishi Sunak bid farewell to Downing Street. Flanked by his emotional wife, Akshata, Sunak expressed his regret and acknowledged the country’s “anger” and the “clear message” from the ballot.
Sir Keir celebrated his victory at a rally in central London early this morning after Labour officially secured the 325 seats needed to control the Commons, exclaiming, “We did it!” He remarked that the British people had “voted to turn the page” on 14 years of Conservative rule and countered critics by saying there was “nothing inevitable” about the outcome.
In a shocking turn of events, Liz Truss was among the high-profile casualties, losing a monumental 24,000 majority to Labour in South West Norfolk. Other notable Conservative figures, including Penny Mordaunt and Grant Shapps, also fell victim to Labour’s sweeping victory. In his parting statement, Mr. Shapps remarked that the Conservatives had “lost” the election rather than Labour winning it, having “tried the patience” of the public by being divided.
Joe
