Party leader Keir Starmer took over as prime minister on Friday after King Charles III formally asked him to form a new government. Starmer promised the British public he would steer the country towards “calmer waters.”
At 61, Starmer begins his term with one of the largest parliamentary majorities in British history and is expected to introduce a program of far-reaching reforms. Addressing the nation from outside 10 Downing Street for the first time as prime minister, Starmer delivered one overarching message: Change starts now.
“It is surely clear to everyone that our country needs a bigger reset, a rediscovery of who we are,” he said, cautioning that the national renewal he was promising would take time. “Changing a country is not like flipping a switch; the world is now a more volatile place,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party experienced its worst result in history, leading some commentators to suggest that the election was as much about rejecting the Conservatives as it was about supporting Labour. The party lost over 250 of the seats it had held since 2019 in the 650-seat Parliament. High-profile casualties included the short-lived former Prime Minister Liz Truss and several cabinet ministers who were voted out.
Conservative leader and, as of Friday morning, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took responsibility for the electoral defeat, apologizing to voters in his farewell address. “I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change; and yours is the only judgment that matters,” he said from the doorstep of 10 Downing Street. Sunak announced that he would resign as the leader of the Conservative Party once arrangements were made to find his successor.