(London) The Labour Party will hold an absolute majority in the future British Parliament following Thursday’s general election, returning to power after 14 years in opposition, according to partial results.
What there is to know
- The future British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, promises a “national renewal”.
- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged the Conservatives’ defeat on Friday, saying he took “responsibility” for it, following a vote won by a landslide by Labour.
- Nigel Farage, a leading figure of the British hard right, has become an MP on his eighth attempt, and his anti-immigration Reform UK party will have several elected members in parliament, an unprecedented number.
- Former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, expelled from the party for his handling of accusations of anti-Semitism within it, has been re-elected as an independent MP.
By midnight (Eastern Time), Labour had secured more than 340 seats, more than the 326 seats needed to secure an absolute majority in the House of Commons and form the future British government on its own.
The verdict
“Tidal wave”: the verdict was displayed on the front page of British daily newspapers on Friday, unanimous in describing the political turning point in the United Kingdom, after 14 years of Conservative power.
Although the defeat of the Conservatives had been predicted for months by the polls, their rout is proving to be historic, confirming the desire for change among the British, exasperated by the succession of crises, from Brexit to soaring prices and the waltz of prime ministers in recent years.
PHOTO CLAUDIA GRECO, REUTERS
British opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer walk past a polling station during the general election in London, Britain, July 4, 2024.
Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is disowned with its worst result since the start of the 20th century.e century: 131 projected MPs, compared to 365 five years ago under Boris Johnson.
With the far right likely to gain power in France and Donald Trump looking set to return to the White House, the British overwhelmingly chose a moderate centre-left leader.
Keir Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, will be tasked by King Charles III on Friday with forming a new government. He has not yet spoken, awaiting his own result in a north London constituency.
PHOTO PHIL NOBLE, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Keir Starmer
Voters are “crying for change” and “it’s up to us to deliver on that trust,” said Rachel Reeves, who is set to become the next Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour government and was re-elected in her constituency.
But she warned that the future government will have to expect “difficult choices” given “the scale of the challenge”.
Thirst for change
Just nine years into politics and four years into Labour’s leadership, the new prime minister will face a considerable appetite for change.
Brexit has torn the country apart and failed to deliver on its supporters’ promises. The price hikes of the last two years have left families impoverished, with more families than ever relying on food banks.
People sometimes have to wait months for medical appointments in the NHS, and prisons are at risk of running out of places in the coming days.
Disastrous campaign
In an atmosphere of permanent fratricidal struggles among the Conservatives, the political scandals under Boris Johnson and the budgetary errors of Liz Truss, who only lasted 49 days in power, have ended up exasperating the voters.
In 20 months in Downing Street, their successor Rishi Sunak, the fifth Conservative prime minister since 2010, has never managed to turn things around in public opinion.
PHOTO JAMES MANNING, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rishi Sunak
The 44-year-old former investment banker and finance minister had tried a gamble by calling these elections in July without waiting until the autumn as many thought, but his campaign was disastrous.
Faced with inevitable defeat, his camp has been reduced in recent days to warning of the risk of a “super majority” leaving Labour without countervailing powers.
Opposite, Keir Starmer highlighted his modest origins – mother a nurse and father a toolmaker – contrasting with his multimillionaire adversary, and promised the return of “stability” and “seriousness”, with very rigorous management of public spending.
Rachel Reeves: the economist who wants to be an iron chancellor
Former Bank of England economist Rachel Reeves is set to become Britain’s first female finance minister after Labour’s election victory, embodying the economic seriousness of a party that says it has “changed”.
PHOTO MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Rachel Reeves
Labour is now “the natural party of business”, the woman who was until now responsible for the opposition on economic issues has been hammering home for months, treading on the territory of her conservative rivals.
She assures that “change will only come with iron discipline” on public finances and insisted on Friday, after being re-elected as MP in the north of England, that her task would be “not easy”: “There is no miracle solution and difficult choices await us”.
Always impeccable bob cut, Mme At 45, Reeves became the first woman to hold the second most prestigious post in the British government, a venerable office that has existed for 800 years.