UK Election 2024 Results: ‘Change Begins Now,’ Says Keir Starmer As Labours Trump Rishi Sunak’s Tories
The Labour Party had won 411 seats as of 2:17 p.m. IST, in line with exit poll projection, while the Conservatives had secured 120 seats.
Labour party leader Keir Starmer will form the next government in the United Kingdom, after a resounding victory in the general elections. The party won 408 seats, far more than the 326 needed for a majority.
People will be awakening to the news of a Labour triumph and Tory loss, Starmer said while speaking at London's Royal Festival Hall. "Relieved that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed," he said.
At a rally, he said that "change begins now" and pledged that the Labour party will "start to rebuild our country" during this "age of national renewal". But he also conceded that change would not be simple.
Conservative party leader and outgoing Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, took accountability for his government's electoral failures as the Conservative party headed for its worst-ever loss.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Starmer on X and expressed eagerness to collaborate with him in strengthening the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for mutual growth and prosperity.
Modi has also thanked Sunak on his leadership of the UK, and active contribution in deepening ties between the two countries during his term.
The Labour Party had won 411 seats as of 2:17 p.m. IST, in line with exit poll projection, while the Conservatives had secured 120 seats. They are expected to win just 131 seats, according to exit polls trends.
Starmer On Historic Win
The Labour party has been declared as winner, the Guardian reported. “We did it! You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived. Change begins now...Four and a half years of work changing the party, this is what it is for, a changed labour party, ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people," Starmer said.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sunak conceded defeat after multiple cabinet members lost seats. He congratulated Starmer on the win. It has been a “difficult night” for his party, he said thanking his constituents for their support. Sunak looks forward to continuing to serve them, he said.
Notable Wins And Losses
On a disappointing night for the Conservative Party, Liz Truss lost her seat in South West Norfolk. This is one of the greatest losses for the party. With a 26,000 majority in the 2019 election, Truss was not anticipated to face significant opposition. Even though she has been the local MP for 14 years, campaigners saw very little of her during campaign.
There have been no comments from Truss, since the results.
Terry Jermy, the Labour candidate, defeated the former prime minister, whose stormy 45-day tenure in office has been held accountable by numerous Conservatives for Thursday's historic setback.
Nigel Farage, leader of right-wing populist political party Reform UK, has finally succeeded in getting a seat in parliament in his eighth attempt.
Jeremy Corbin, who led the Labour Party into the general elections of 2017 and 2019, held onto his seat in north London—but this time as an independent.
Gillian Keegan, who was appointed to the cabinet as education secretary in 2022, lost her seat as education secretary. Her seat in Chichester, which has been held by the Conservatives for nearly 100 years, was targeted in a campaign by the Liberal Democrats, but only ranked 103 on their list of targets.
Conservatives Under Threat
YouGov polling predicted that at least 15 Conservative candidates, who serve as ministers on Sunak's cabinet, would lose their seats.
This includes Finance Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt. That means slightly under half of Sunak's cabinet members will be removed, with 27 ministers seeking re-election—not counting Sunak himself.
Nine cabinet ministers lost their seats, according to the Guardian:
Penny Mordaunt, leader of the Commons.
Alex Chalk, the justice secretary.
Grant Shapps, the defence secretary.
Gillian Keegan, the education secretary.
Simon Hart, the chief whip.
Michelle Donelan, the science secretary.
Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary.
Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister.
Mark Harper, the transport secretary.
What To Expect From A Labour Win?
The result would give Labour a majority of 170 and would bring the curtain down on 14 years of increasingly Conservative-led government.
"Tonight, people here and around the country have spoken and they're ready for change, to end the politics of performance, a return to politics as public service," Starmer said after winning his seat in London.
Starmer will face a hard challenge as he takes office, with a slowing economy, crumbling public services, and falling living standards—all of which contributed to the Conservatives' defeat.
Sunak's party was expected to win only 131 seats, its worst electoral performance in history, as voters punished the party for a cost-of-living crisis and years of instability and infighting that has resulted in five different prime ministers since the Brexit vote in 2016.
A Brief Look At The Candidates
The total number of candidates from 98 different political parties is a record peak. Of them, 459 are independents, and 30% are female.
At least 29 joke candidates are competing, with 22 standing for the "Official Monster Raving Loony Party", according to Agence France-Presse.
Pedro Da Conceicao and Adam Wayne Joseph Gillman are the youngest candidates at 18 years old, while John Hugh Morris is the oldest at 86 years.
A new national fault line emerged to rival the 52-48% Brexit vote split, according to Democracy Club, which monitors election data.
46 Million Voters And 40,000 Polling Stations
For the first time this year, British residents who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will be able to vote.
There were over 46 million voters registered in the UK in December 2023, according to government data. This number is likely to have risen closer to the election, which was called on May 22.
There are around 40,000 polling stations across the country, according to Democracy Club. In the UK, any space can be used as a polling station as long as it meets certain criteria like being accessible for people with disabilities. Several pubs have reportedly been used, with this year's election also promising polling at a ship, a beehive centre, a cricket field and a fossil museum among others.
