In a major political shift in the United Kingdom, the voters have ended 14 years of rule by the Conservatives, paving the path for Labour Party leader Kier Starmer to become the Prime Minister. While Starmer thanked the Britishers for “bringing a change” and ending the “politics of performance”, incumbent PM Rishi Sunak took responsibility for the party’s crushing defeat and promised a smooth transfer of power to his successor Kier Starmer.
Although the UK’s first British Indian-origin prime minister Rishi Sunak held onto his seats in Richmond and Northallerton in northern England with 23,059 votes, the party as a whole couldn’t even reach the majority mark. Acknowledging the sober verdict handed to his party, Sunak took responsibility for the party’s defeat, congratulating his opponent, Starmer, for achieving a thumping victory.
Official results revealed that the Labour Party won enough seats to secure a majority in the UK parliament. Out of 650 seats in total, as of 10 am (IST), Starmer’s Labour Party has won 381 seats, while Sunak’s Conservative Party had secured only 92 seats.
Celebrating his victory alongside his supporters at the Tate Modern art gallery in London, Starmer roared, “Change begins right here because this is your democracy, your community, your future.” He further thanked his party’s candidates, saying that the heart of the UK’s democracy beats not in Westminster or Whitehall, but in town halls, community centres, and in the hands of voters.
For the unversed, as the Labour Party began with their campaigns and rallies, all of them were pinned to a one-word promise- “Change”. Starmer, a former barrister who entered the UK Parliament in 2015, brought the Labour Party to center stage, pledging to revive Britain’s flagging public services. Nonetheless, Starmer might win fewer seats than what was won by Tony Blair in 1997, the last time when the Labour Party had ousted the Conservatives in an election.
As far as the country’s foreign policy is concerned, specifically Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is not expected to change, with Starmer committing to continue Britain’s supportive stance towards Kyiv. The Labour leader has also called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and has also pinned on the simultaneous return of Israeli hostages who are held in Hamas’ captives.
As far as the Labour Party’s equation with India is concerned, Starmer has sought to mend the strained relationship between the Labour Party and India. While the Labour Party leader acknowledged the past missteps of his party in its relations with India, particularly its stance of favoring Pakistan in the Jammu and Kashmir matter, he is strongly committed to stamping out the anti-India elements and those with extremist views. Essentially, in its manifesto, the party mentioned that it would lead the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations – so regardless of the margin Starmer registers a victory against Sunak, a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) with India is seen as high on the agenda, not just for trade, but for cooperation in various sectors like new technologies, environment, and security as well.
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