Labour's landslide: Starmer takes helm as UK's 58th PM

Sunak bows out, 14 years of Conservative rule ends

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Keir Starmer has taken office as the United Kingdom’s 58th Prime Minister after his Labour Party secured a resounding victory in a general election that dealt a devastating blow to the Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives. The results mark a decisive end to 14 years of Conservative rule and the worst electoral defeat in the party’s history.

Starmer, 61, assumed the premiership following his audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, succeeding Sunak after the latter’s meeting with the monarch. The Labour Party secured a commanding 412 seats in the 650-member House of Commons, marking a significant increase of 211 seats since the previous election in 2019. In contrast, the Conservatives plummeted to just 121 seats, a staggering loss of 250 seats.

In his inaugural address outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer declared: “Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal, and a return of politics for public service.” He acknowledged the daunting challenges ahead, emphasising that rebuilding the nation would require immediate and sustained effort, not merely symbolic gestures.

“We must bridge the gap between sacrifice and service, restoring hope and belief in a better future,” Starmer asserted, underscoring the need for trust-building actions over rhetoric.