Labour Party in landslide victory as Sunak concedes defeat in UK polls

Labour has won the UK general election and is heading for a landslide, with results from more than 500 of the 650 parliamentary seats declared.

Party leader Keir Starmer will be the next prime minister, promising cheering supporters at a victory rally in central London that “change begins now.”

Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, conceded defeat to the opposition Labour Party as voters in the UK general election delivered a devastating verdict on 14 years of Conservative rule.

As results poured in from around the UK, the centre-left Labour Party was on course to win Britain’s general election by a landslide. Party leader Keir Starmer celebrated the victory in front of supporters at the Tate Modern art gallery in London.

“Change begins now. It feels good; I have to be honest,” he said.

Sunak said he had called Starmer to congratulate him and added that he took personal responsibility for the crushing defeat. “I am sorry,” Sunak said after becoming one of a lonely band of Conservative figures to retain their seats.

An exit poll predicted that Labour would win 410 seats while the Conservatives would drop to just 131 seats, a rejection of the ruling party by Britain’s electorate that had been anticipated for months.

“The Labour Party has won this general election. The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight. There is much to learn and reflect on, and I take responsibility for the loss,” Sunak said.

The Conservative Party suffered a stunning defeat after 14 years in government, bringing a brutal end to the premiership of Rishi Sunak, who said he had called Starmer to congratulate him and concede the election.
Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party won its first seats and came second in many more, splitting the right-wing vote and contributing to the Conservatives’ losses.

The soon-to-be new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed cheering 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 cautioned that having “a mandate like this comes with a great responsibility.”

Speaking a few moments 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.”

The Liberal Democrats were forecast to win 61 seats, according to the exit poll, and will return as Britain’s third-strongest party in Westminster.

Starmer, a former barrister who entered parliament in 2015 and has dragged his party towards the centre ground since taking over as a leader in 2020, has pledged to revive Britain’s flagging public services while keeping a tight lid on expenditure.

His victory provides an antidote to the rise of populist sentiment across Europe.