'Change begins now,' Keir Starmer tells victory rally in London
4 Min Read
Labour has secured a historic win in the British elections and PM Rishi Sunak is set to step down after conceding defeat.
-
Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer gives a thumbs up to his supporters after he was elected for the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, in London, on July 5, 2024. (AP)
The soon-to-be new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed supporters at a Labour Party victory rally in central London and pledged "national renewal" following 14 years of Conservative rule.
“You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now,” Starmer told Labour staff. “It feels good, I have to be honest … This is what it is for. A changed Labour party, ready to serve our country.” However, Starmer warned that having “a mandate like this comes with a great responsibility.”
After Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat in the general election, Starmer said, “Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together—national renewal. If you work hard, if you play by the rules, this country should give you a fair chance to get on… We have to restore that.”
He continued, “We have to return politics to public service, show that politics can be a force for good. Make no mistake, that is the great test for politics in this era. The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age.”
Sunak confirms stepping down as PM
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Friday that he is stepping down as prime minister of the United Kingdom after conceding defeat to the Labour Party in the parliamentary election.
Earlier on Friday, Sunak said that he called Labour Party leader Kier Starmer to congratulate him on the victory in the parliamentary election.
"I will now head down to London, where I will say more about tonight's result, before I leave the job as prime minister, to which I have given my all," UK broadcaster Sky News quoted the prime minister as saying.
“The Labour Party has won this general election,” Sunak said, adding that he congratulated Keir Starmer over the phone. He added that power would now change "in an orderly and peaceful manner."
“The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight. There is much to learn and reflect on, and I take responsibility for the loss,” he said.
Corbyn defeats old party standing as an independent
Labour’s former leader, left-wing politician Jeremy Corbyn, has defeated his former party in a unique battle in London’s Islington North, dealing a symbolic blow to his successor Keir Starmer. Corbyn led Labour to two election defeats in 2017 and 2019 and was later suspended by the party for his response to an alleged "antisemitism scandal" that erupted within Labour under his watch.
However, the left-wing veteran mounted a challenge as an independent candidate in the North London constituency he has represented since 1983. He defeated Labour’s Praful Nargund, winning 24,120 votes to Nargund’s 16,873.
“Our campaign was a positive one. Our campaign did not get into the gutter of politics, as is too often happening in this country,” Corbyn said after winning.
“The political system has to produce answers … Demonizing refugees; and demonizing people from other countries won’t solve those problems. The only way we solve the problems of our community is by uniting our communities.”
Winning this seat was a huge priority for Labour, and Corbyn is now expected to lead a faction of opposition from Labour’s left as Starmer looks set to govern in the coming years.
#UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took Britons by surprise when he announced the dissolving of the parliament on May 22, scheduling the UK General Election on July 4, 2024.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 3, 2024
This year's UK election comes at a time of significant political flux, marked by ministerial decisions and… pic.twitter.com/Zk56Egi5bf
