UK Election: Results and What Lies Ahead

The Labour Party has won a huge victory in the UK election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Sir Keir Starmer is set to become the new prime minister later today. This victory brings an end to a period with five different Conservative leaders.

Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded early this morning around 04:40, admitting Labour’s win and congratulating Sir Keir. In his victory speech, Sir Keir promised “national renewal” and said he would put “country first, party second.”

This UK election win is a major turnaround for Labour. In 2019, under Jeremy Corbyn, the party suffered its worst defeat in almost a century. Former Conservative minister Robert Buckland, who lost his seat, called the result “electoral Armageddon” for the Tories, possibly marking their worst outcome in nearly 200 years.

Labour has won 410 seats, while the Conservatives have only 119. The centrist Liberal Democrats have taken 71 seats, and Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit Party, is expected to get four seats.

Labour’s expected 170-seat majority is large, although not as big as Tony Blair’s 179-seat majority in 1997. In comparison, the Conservatives had an 80-seat majority in 2019 under Boris Johnson.

Big Names Lose Seats

Many big names lost their seats as results were announced live. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who served only 49 days, lost her South West Norfolk seat early this morning. Prominent Conservatives like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Grant Shapps also lost their seats.

Jeremy Hunt kept his seat but with a smaller majority, while Rishi Sunak won his seat in Yorkshire but admitted his party’s defeat in his acceptance speech.

Sir Keir Starmer, new to politics, started his career as a barrister in the 1990s and became the director of public prosecutions in 2008. He was first elected in 2015 for the Holborn and St Pancras constituency. He became Labour leader in 2019 after the party’s poor performance.

Re-elected on Thursday, Sir Keir highlighted the public’s desire for change and promised to end “the politics of performance.”

Nigel Farage Finally Wins a Seat

Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, saw Farage win a seat on his eighth attempt. Reform UK secured four seats, surpassing the previous achievements of UKIP and the Brexit Party. Farage, along with Lee Anderson, Richard Tice, and Rupert Lowe, will represent Reform UK in the House of Commons.

As the results settle, the implications of Labour’s victory and the future of the Conservative Party will become clearer in the coming days. The nation now looks to Sir Keir Starmer for the promised “national renewal.”