LONDON (AFP): Labour leader Keir Starmer officially became British prime minister on Friday hours after his Labour Party swept to power in a landslide victory after more than a decade in opposition.
Starmer was elevated to the nation’s leader after a private ceremony with King Charles III in Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace in a statement said, “The king received in audience the right honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new administration. Sir Keir accepted his majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as prime minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
With almost all the results in, Labour had won 410 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons and the Conservatives 118.
The King received in Audience The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration.
Sir Keir accepted His Majesty’s offer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. pic.twitter.com/g1TwdPObbD
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2024
In the merciless choreography of British politics, Starmer took charge in 10 Downing St. shortly after Conservative leader Rishi Sunak and his family left the official residence and King Charles III accepted his resignation at Buckingham Palace.
In a statement, the palace said, “The right honorable Rishi Sunak MP had an audience of the King this morning and tendered his resignation as prime minister and first lord of the Treasury, which his majesty was graciously pleased to accept.”
Sunak had conceded defeat earlier in the morning, saying the voters had delivered a “sobering verdict.” In a reflective farewell speech in the same place where he had called for the snap election six weeks earlier, Sunak wished Starmer all the best but also acknowledged his missteps.
The King received in Audience The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration.
Sir Keir accepted His Majesty’s offer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. pic.twitter.com/g1TwdPObbD
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2024
“I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss,” Sunak said. “To all the Conservative candidates and campaigners who worked tirelessly but without success, I’m sorry that we could not deliver what your efforts deserved.”
Keir Starmer’s first speech as UK’s prime minister
During his first speech as UK’s new prime minister, Starmer acknowledged to his supporters that a mandate like this comes with great responsibility, saying the fight to regain people’s trust after years of disillusionment “is the battle that defines our age.”
“Whether you voted Labour or not, in fact, especially if you did not I say to you directly. My government will serve you. Politics can be a force for good. We will show that. We’ve changed the Labour Party and returned it to service, and that is how we will govern. Country first, party second”.
Speaking as dawn broke in London, he said Labour would offer “the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day.”
BREAKING: Keir Starmer’s first speech as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom pic.twitter.com/FWPT3gerdI
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 5, 2024
“Nothing has gone well in the last 14 years,” said London voter James Erskine, who was optimistic for change in the hours before polls closed. “I just see this as the potential for a seismic shift, and that’s what I’m hoping for.” And that’s what Starmer promised, saying “Change begins now.”
