Keir Starmer becomes UK prime minister after meeting King Charles

PTI, Jul 5, 2024, 5:13 PM IST

Credit: X / @Keir_Starmer

LONDON: Keir Starmer on Friday officially became Britain’s new prime minister after an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, hours after his Labour Party won the general elections.

The 61-year-old Labour leader arrived at the Palace with his wife Victoria Starmer after leading his party to a landslide victory in a landmark UK general election with a gain of over 200 seats, as outgoing leader Rishi Sunak conceded defeat with his Conservative Party suffering its worst election defeat in history.

Earlier, Rishi Sunak, 44, resigned as prime minister after meeting the monarch.

Starmer has promised a phase of “national renewal” under his premiership.

As Labour crossed the halfway mark of 650 constituencies in the early hours of Friday to clinch the minimum 326 required for a majority in Parliament, Starmer stepped up to make his victory speech in London: “Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest.

“A mandate like this comes with a great responsibility. Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together. National renewal. Whoever you are, wherever you start in life, if you work hard, if you play by the rules, this country should give you a fair chance to get on. It should always respect your contribution and we have to restore that,” he said.