The Labor Party has officially won enough seats in the UK’s 2024 general election to have a majority in parliament, as vote counting continues. Labor Leader Keir Starmer will become prime minister and can form a majority government.
Keir Starmer has led Britain’s Labor Party to a landslide election victory, and will become prime minister — the first leader from the center-left party to win a U.K. national election since Tony Blair, who won three in a row starting in 1997.
Like Blair, who refashioned the party as “New Labor” in the 1990s, 61-year-old Starmer led Labor to victory over Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party in Thursday’s election after dragging the party towards the political middle ground.
The Labor Party has won Britain’s general election, bringing a new party to power for the first time in 14 years.
The leaders of Australia and New Zealand have sent their congratulations to Labor Party leader Keir Starmer on his election victory.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a social media post on X that he looked forward “to working constructively” with the new British government.
With more than half of the 650 seats declared so far, Labor is emerging way ahead of other parties with at least 250 seats.
Starmer is expected to pay a visit to King Charles III later Friday to get the monarch’s permission to form a new government.
The governing Conservatives have 44 seats, while the left-of-center Liberal Democrats have won 32 seats. The hard-right, anti-immigration Reform UK has won 4 seats so far. The Scottish National Party has 4 seats, while the Green Party has 1 seat.
While the Labor Party appears headed for a landslide U.K. election victory, it seems clear that it has suffered in areas with big Muslim communities over its stance on the conflict in Gaza.
A prominent Labor member, Jonathan Ashworth, lost his Leicester South seat in central England to an independent candidate who had Gaza at the heart of his campaign.
Ashworth, who was expected to be appointed to the Cabinet, lost around 20,000 votes when compared to the election of 2019.
Even Labour leader Keir Starmer saw his majority in his Holborn and St. Pancras seat in north London reduced, with more than 7,000 votes going to a pro-Gaza candidate.
After the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, Starmer took a strongly pro-Israel stance and maintained it even as the death toll in Gaza swelled. Many Muslims who had been traditional Labor voters were aghast and have clearly turned to other candidates.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Labor has won the election
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the British people have “delivered a sobering verdict,” and the Labour Party has won the election.
Sunak, who held onto his seat in North Yorkshire, told those gathered: “The Labour party has won this general election.”
“I take responsibility for the loss,” he said. “To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. I am sorry.” (AP)
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