British general election - Triumph for Labour: Great Britain experiences change of government
United Kingdom experiences government change. The opposition Labour Party and its leader Keir Starmer have clearly won the parliamentary elections. The 61-year-old will become the new Prime Minister and should be commissioned by King Charles III for government formation today. Across the country, Labour's Social Democrats have captured numerous constituencies from the Conservatives of the outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Conservatives face a rift. They are on track for a historically poor result. For the 44-year-old Sunak, it is a heavy defeat. "I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," Sunak said, visibly disheartened. He hinted at his resignation from the party leadership.
Britons elect many government members
Labour is projected to win at least 410 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons (House of Commons), according to the count. In the 2019 election, the party had only 202 seats. The Conservatives are projected to decline from their previous standing of 365 seats to approximately 120. As many cabinet members were voted out as never before. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss also lost her seat.
Many votes go to the right-wing populist Reform UK Party. Its chairman Nigel Farage, who once significantly drove the Brexit process forward, manages to enter the House of Commons for the first time in the eighth attempt. His party could continue to put pressure on the Conservatives.
Starmer promises changes
Starmer won his London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras convincingly. However, he lost around 17 percentage points compared to 2019. This was mainly due to the high approval for an independent candidate who strongly opposed Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth surprisingly lost his seat to a pro-Palestinian candidate.
Explanation of the clear victory by a pollster
According to opinion pollsters, Labour's clear victory was long anticipated. Renowned pollster John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow sees the clear outcome of the election not primarily as enthusiasm for Labour but as discontent with the previous ruling party.
Sunak's Conservatives resemble a nightmare
For Sunak's Conservatives, the election result is reminiscent of a nightmare. "Landslide" and "massacre" are some headlines in the British press following the disaster's announcement. Several cabinet members lost their seats, including Defense Minister Grant Shapps, Education Minister Gillian Keegan, and Penny Mordaunt - the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs was previously considered a favorite for Sunak's succession.
"For me, it's clear that Labour did not win the election tonight, but that the Conservatives lost it," Shapps said on Thursday evening. "We have forgotten a fundamental rule of politics. The people do not vote for divided parties."
Right-wing populist Farage makes a challenge
The Conservatives have likely lost more than just to Labour. The Liberal Democrats seem to be making significant gains at the expense of the Tories. For the Scottish National Party (SNP), however, it looks like a devastating defeat.
What about Keir Starmer?
Starmer brought Labour back into the political center after the party had been pushed far to the left under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who was re-elected as an Independent. Starmer also took a firm stance against anti-Semitic tendencies within the party's ranks.
In terms of political content, the former Opposition leader has been rather vague in many areas. Some commentators compare his cautious approach to carrying a porcelain vase from the Chinese Ming Dynasty.
- The outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, from Great Britain, has admitted defeat in the parliamentary election, paving the way for King Charles III to commission the new Prime Minister, expected to be 61-year-old Keir Starmer.
- Numerous constituencies in the United Kingdom have been captured by Labour's Social Democrats during the elections, leaving the Conservatives to face a historic low in seat counts.
- Despite the clear victory, Labour leader Keir Starmer only managed to win his London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras by a smaller margin than in 2019, as support for an independent candidate opposing Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip surged.
- The Conservative Party's failure in the parliamentary election has become a subject of criticism and shock, with several cabinet members, including Defense Minister Grant Shapps and Education Minister Gillian Keegan, losing their seats.
- Nigel Farage, the chairman of the right-wing populist Reform UK Party, has secured a seat in the House of Commons for the first time after eight attempts, potentially putting pressure on the Conservative Party.
- Liz Truss, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has also suffered a defeat in the parliamentary election, losing her seat and putting an end to her brief tenure in office.
- Keir Starmer's tenure as the Labour Party leader and potential Prime Minister has been marked by a return to the party's political center, as well as a stand against anti-Semitic tendencies within the party's ranks, but commentators have criticized his cautious approach as reminiscent of handling a porcelain vase with great care.
