London|July, 5 : Ending a 14-year wait, the Labour Party on Friday stormed back to power in the United Kingdom, as outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged defeat for the ruling Conservative Party.
Sunak, the first British Prime Minister of Indian origin, congratulated Labour leader Keir Starmer – expected to take over as Prime Minister. In the 650-member British parliament, with counting nearing its final stages, Labour has already won a massive 406 seats and its final tally could go beyond the exit polls predictions of 410 seats, according to BBC. Labour had got 202 seats in the 2019 general election.
The Conservative Party, which has been ruling the nation without a break since 2010, has so far bagged only 112 seats, a loss of 242 seats that it won five years ago. The Liberal Democrats took pole position in 69 seats, an impressive gain of 61. The Scottish National Party and Sinn Fein won in eight and seven seats respectively. The right-wing Reform UK won four seats. Twenty two seats have gone to independents and other parties. Though Sunak managed to hold his Richmond and Northallerton constituency, a number of Conservative heavyweights bit the dust.
High-profile Conservatives who lost their seats included former Prime Minister Liz Truss, incumbent Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Penny Mordaunt. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage became an MP for the first time on his eighth attempt. A jubilant Starmer, who has served as leader of the Labour Party since 2020, said “We did it… change begins now”. The 1962 born Starmer, a barrister, retained his Holborn and St. Pancras seat defeating his nearest rival independent candidate Andrew Feinstein by 11,572 votes.
“People around the country have spoken. And they are ready for change to end the politics of performance and a return to politics as public service,” he said after being pronounced winner from the constituency. Sunak, on the other hand, took responsibility for his party’s debacle. “The Labour Party has won this general election. And I have called Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory. “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict. There is much to learn and reflect on. And I take full responsibility for the loss,” said the 44 year old leader, who had taken over as British premier on October 25, 2022.
