British general election - After election debacle: Rishi Sunak steps down as party leader
After the defeat of the conservative Tories in the British Parliamentary election, Rishi Sunak is taking consequences within his party. He will step down as party leader as soon as the formal regulations for succession are clarified, the outgoing Prime Minister announced in London in the morning. Sunak's Conservatives had previously suffered historically poor results in the House of Commons election.
The party lost its majority and now only has 120 of 650 seats. In the previous election, they had won 365 seats in the House of Commons. Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, will be the new Prime Minister, whose social democratic Labour Party won the election with a large margin and now has at least 412 seats.
Sunak apologized to the voters. He had given everything, but the verdict was clear. "I have heard your anger and your disappointment, and I accept responsibility for this defeat," he said. He wished success to his successor Starmer.
Sunak moves out of 10 Downing Street
The Conservatives have governed in the United Kingdom for 14 years. Sunak took over the party leadership and thus the office of the Prime Minister in October 2022.
He succeeded Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose politics caused turbulence on the financial markets and who had to resign after 49 days in office. Before that, Boris Johnson had also had to resign due to various scandals.
The dissatisfaction with the two predecessors Sunak, according to political scientist John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, was the main reason for the disastrous defeat of the Tories.
Sunak was considered aloof
Sunak, who previously worked in the financial sector and is married to entrepreneur Akshata Murty, has a multi-million fortune. This also strengthened his reputation as aloof.
Sunak won his own constituency clearly. Sunak said he looked forward to spending more time in his constituency in the coming weeks. The Conservative Party will now be the opposition in the House of Commons and faces a rift. It is expected that another right-wing shift is imminent.
Who will be the new opposition leader?
After the heavy losses, the party is depleted. Several potential successors have lost their seats. Among them were Defence Minister Grant Shapps and the former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Penny Mordaunt.
Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, who previously had good chances, defended her seat. She is on the right wing of the party, as is the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is also seen as a promising candidate for party leadership.
As more moderate potential candidates, James Cleverly, the current Home Secretary, and Tom Tugendhat, the former Secretary of State, are considered. In an interview with Sky News, Cleverly was rather evasive when asked if he would run.
The Conservatives are under pressure from the right-wing Reform UK party. Its leader Nigel Farage surprised with his unexpected candidacy and alienated voters on the right with his campaign. He played a significant role in driving Brexit forward and is seen as a supporter of former US President Donald Trump. He also won a seat in Parliament and will lead a small group of MPs. His declared goal is to take over or undermine the Conservative Party.
- The election debacle has prompted Rishi Sunak to announce his resignation as Prime Minister, which will take place once the succession rules are clarified, from the iconic 10 Downing Street in London.
- With the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, securing a significant victory in the election, Sunak's Conservative Party now finds itself in opposition, losing its majority and holding only 120 out of 650 seats in Parliament.
- Opposition leader Sunak expressed his regret for the party's poor performance in the election, accepting responsibility for the defeat and wishing success to his successor, Keir Starmer.
- The choice for the new opposition leader amongst the Conservatives is becoming increasingly important, with potential candidates such as James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, and Suella Braverman all vying for the role.
- Outside pressure from Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party, which won a parliamentary seat during the election, could also influence the direction that the Conservative Party takes under its new leadership.
