UK: Keir Starmer promises to win back trust as Sunak hands over notice to Tory leadership

Published on Authored by C to I News Desk

Down and out for 14 years, the Labour Party made a stunning comeback in UK politics, winning 412 seats under the leadership of Keir Starmer. Following his historic election victory, Starmer, 61, promised to win back the trust of the public by rebuilding Britain ‘brick by brick’.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with King Charles III. Photo courtesy: x.com/RoyalFamily
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with King Charles III. Photo courtesy: x.com/RoyalFamily

“My government will fight, every day, until you believe again,” he said in a speech outside the iconic No 10, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak, who lost to Starmer, said he’ll step down as the leader of the Conservative Party, following their underwhelming performance.

Starmer’s speech was a mix, as he laid out the plan for his government and also took jibes at the Conservatives, who ruled for 14 years, before being handed a massive humiliation in the recently concluded general polls.

The Tories won just 121 seats. Their worst-ever performance saw them lose in several bastions. The performance also took away dozens of seats that they had managed to win for the first time in 2019.

On the other hand, the Liberal Democrats won a record 71 seats, emerging third. They are likely to add one more to their tally as there was one seat left to declare on Friday evening, pending a recount on Saturday, to start at 10:30 am (local time). The constituency in question is the closely fought seat in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire. The Lib Dems managed to add at least 60 seats in 2024, from just 11 in 2019. In the process, they defeated several Tory MPs, including four cabinet ministers.

The pro-independence Scottish National party (SNP) got only 10 seats, losing at least 38 constituencies. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, founded in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, which advocated a no-deal Brexit, managed to open its account, winning in five seats. The Greens followed with four.

In his speech, Starmer vowed to have a government that serves the people’s interest. “From now on, you have a government unburdened by doctrine, guided only by a determination to serve your interests. To defy, quietly, those who have written our country off,” he said.

Starmer is trying to win back public support in UK politics as recent figures show a lack of apathy from voters. The turnout in the 2024 polls was 60 percent, which is the lowest since 2001. The numbers are down seven percent from the general polls in 2019.

“This wound, this lack of trust can only be healed with actions, not words,” he said. “I know that, but we can make a start today with the simple acknowledgment that public service is a privilege and your government should treat every single person with respect.

“Whether you voted Labour or not, especially if you did not, I say to you directly, my government will serve you. Politics can be a force for good. We will show that. We changed the Labour party, returned it to service and that is how we will govern.”

Meanwhile, Starmer’s party lost four seats to pro-Gaza independent candidates, while it managed to win by slender margins in several others, showing a Britain that is divided between ideologies.

Apart from that, the rise of hard-right Reform, who won 14 percent of the vote or more than four million votes in total, will play a significant role in Britain’s politics in the near future. Farage’s party finished second in more than 100 seats.

Starmer also paid tribute to the “dedication and hard work” of Rishi Sunak, his predecessor, stating that the latter’s achievement in becoming the first British Asian leader of the UK had required “an extra effort that … should not be underestimated by anyone”.

Accompanied by his wife, Victoria Starmer, the Labour leader said that too long governments had turned a blind eye as millions slid into greater insecurity, taking a dig at the Tories. He said the UK needed a “bigger reset, a rediscovery of who we are” but that “one of the great strengths of this nation has always been to navigate a way to calmer waters”.

He also promised to transform Britain’s crippled public services. “Brick by brick, we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity. The world-class schools and colleges, the affordable homes that I know are the ingredients of hope for working people. The security that working-class families like mine could build their lives around.”

Taking a subtle jab at the Tory eras, he said Labour would “tread more lightly on your lives” after an “era of noisy performance”.

Starmer assembles first cabinet

Just hours after entering No 10, Starmer announced his first cabinet. Rachel Reeves became UK’s first female chancellor and Angela Rayner was announced as deputy prime minister. Yvette Cooper was appointed home secretary, while David Lammy was handed the job of foreign secretary.

Wes Streeting, who was named the new health secretary, said the NHS was “broken” and could not “be fixed overnight”.

Indian-origin Lisa Nandy was appointed as the culture secretary. Nandy managed to hold on to her seat in Wigan, defeating Andy Dawber by nearly 10,000 votes. She became a Labour MP in 2010. In 2020, she finished third, behind Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey, as the leader of the Labour Party.

Next week, Starmer is likely to have his first bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. The UK Prime Minister will be in Washington DC for the NATO summit.

Sunak apologises as Tories look for new leader

Former UK Prime Minister and Conservative leader Rishi Sunak has shouldered the responsibilities for his party’s abysmal performance and apologised to the country.

Congratulating his successor, Sunak said “whatever our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man who I respect”.

Sunak also handed notice to the Tories, stating his desire to step down as the leader. However, he’ll be in charge until the Conservative Party names his successor.

“Senior party figures are pushing for the contest to be concluded quickly, with a new leader crowned by September, to avoid the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, positioning himself as the main opposition to Starmer, and Labour setting the narrative on the Tory record,” The Guardian reported.

Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, and Robert Jenrick are the potential choices for Sunak’s role.