Keir Starmer is the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. King Charles III commissioned the Social Democrat to form a government on Friday. The 61-year-old and his Labour Party won a clear victory in Thursday’s parliamentary elections and replaced the Conservative Party, which had ruled Britain for 14 years. The previous Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his resignation as party leader.
The new head of government will face a number of challenges in the country – such as the overloading of the national health service NHS, problems in housing policy or the question of how the country will deal with immigration. The rising cost of living is also a major issue in the United Kingdom.
- HONEY: Labour leader Keir Starmer moves into Downing Street as the new Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Politically, Starmer promises economic stability, a better health system and stronger border protection. He wants to set up a national energy company and employ more teachers. He wants to overturn the previous government’s plan to deport irregular migrants to Rwanda regardless of their origin. He has ruled out his country’s return to the EU.
Sunak resigns
The Tories, who were voted out of office, are now facing a dispute over direction. They have achieved a historically bad result. For Sunak, it is a heavy defeat. The 44-year-old announced on Friday that he would resign as party leader as soon as the formal arrangements for the succession have been clarified.
The party lost its majority and, following almost all votes have been counted, only has 121 of 650 seats. In the last election, it won 365 seats in the House of Commons. Labour won the election by a large margin and now has at least 412 seats.
Sunak apologized to the voters. He said he had given everything, but the verdict was clear. “I have heard your anger and your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this defeat,” he said. He wished his successor Starmer success.
- HONEY: ORF correspondent Jörg Winter analyses what Britain can expect now
Main reason for defeat: dissatisfaction with Sunak’s predecessor
The Conservatives have governed the UK since 2010. Sunak took over the party leadership and thus the office of head of government in October 2022. He succeeded Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose policies had caused turbulence in the financial markets and who had to resign following 49 days in office. Her party colleague Boris Johnson had previously also had to resign following various scandals.
According to political scientist John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, dissatisfaction with Sunak’s two predecessors was the main reason for the Tories’ disastrous defeat.
Sunak won his own constituency by a clear margin. Sunak said he was looking forward to spending more time in his constituency in the coming weeks. The Conservative Party will now form the opposition in the House of Commons and is facing a battle over direction. It is expected to face a further shift to the right.
Several potential successors lost their seats
After the heavy loss of seats, the party has been thinned out. Several potential successors have lost their seats, including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and the former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Penny Mordaunt. Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, on the other hand, who has also been given good chances, defended her seat. She is on the right wing of the party, as is former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is also considered a promising candidate for the party leadership.
The more moderate potential candidates are the current Home Secretary James Cleverly and the current Secretary of State Tom Tugendhat. When asked whether he would run for the post, Cleverly gave a rather evasive answer in an interview with Sky News.
The Tories are under pressure from the right, from the right-wing populist party “Reform UK”. Its leader Nigel Farage had lured voters away from the right with his surprise candidacy. He once played a key role in driving Brexit forward and is considered a supporter of former US President Donald Trump. Farage also entered parliament and will lead a small group of MPs. His declared aim is to take over the Conservative Party or make it redundant.
