LONDON — The people of Britain made their voices heard in the 2024 U.K. Election on Thursday, ending a Conservative rule of 14 years and put the Labour Party in power with a historic landslide.
Speaking at Number 10 Downing Street, the country’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer said people had voted “decisively for change”.
“When the gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation, a draining away of the hope, the spirit, the belief in a better future,” he said. “But we need to move forward together. Now this wound, this lack of trust can only be healed by actions not words, I know that.”
Labour had secured 412 seats — six short of its highest-ever total. The Conservatives won just 121 seats, which would be the worst result in its almost 200-year history.
Starmer added the U.K. could “make a start today with the simple acknowledgement that public service is a privilege and that your government should treat every single person in this country with respect.”
Rishi Sunak resigned and made his new role as monarch, giving Starmer complete control.
“This is a difficult day at the end of a number of difficult days. But I leave this job honoured to have been your prime minister,” Sunak said in his final speech.
