Starmer pledges to rebuild UK after election win
Keir Starmer vowed to rebuild Britain as its next prime minister after his Labour Party on Friday surged to a landslide victory in a parliamentary election, ending 14 years of Conservative government. The centre-left Labour won a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament.  Rishi Sunak's Conservatives suffered the worst performance in the party's long history as voters punished them for a cost of living crisis, failing public services and a series of scandals. "We did it," Starmer said in a victory speech. "Change begins now... We said we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country." The election result has upended British politics. Labour won some 410 seats, an increase of 210, while the Conservatives, the western world's most successful party, lost about 250 lawmakers, including a record number of senior ministers and former Prime Minister Liz Truss. The Scottish National Party imploded, losing 38 seats, ending its own decade of dominance in Scotland and leaving its dream of independence for Scotland in tatters, while conversely the Irish nationalists Sinn Fein became Northern Ireland's largest party for the first time. Meanwhile, the populist right-wing Reform UK party, headed by Nigel Farage, the Brexit campaigner and friend of Donald Trump, won more than four million votes. While it secured only four lawmakers, its impact on the outcome by siphoning vast tracts of Conservative support will make Farage a major thorn in the side of the two major parties. A glum Sunak conceded defeat and will meet King Charles later to formally resign before Starmer is appointed in his place. "Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides," Sunak said. "There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative candidates... I am sorry." Despite his convincing victory, polls have suggested there is little enthusiasm for Starmer or his party. Thanks to the quirk of Britain's first past the post system and a low turnout, Labour's triumph was achieved with fewer votes than it secured in 2017 and 2019, the latter its worst result for 84 years. The pound and British stocks and government bonds rose on Friday, but Starmer comes to power at a time when the country is facing a series of daunting challenges. Britain's tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War Two, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen, and public services are creaking, especially the much cherished National Health Service which has been dogged by strikes. Some of Labour's more ambitious plans, such as its flagship green spending pledges, have already been scaled back while Starmer has promised not to raise taxes for "working people". Likewise, he has promised to scrap the Conservative's controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but with migration a key electoral issue, he will be under pressure himself to find a way to stop tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel from France on small boats. "I don't promise you it will be easy," Starmer said. "Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. It's hard work. Patient, determined, work, and we will have to get moving immediately." (Reuters)