UK General Election 2024

Keir Starmer says burden has been lifted off shoulders of ‘our great nation’

Labour leader promises an end to the ‘politics of performance and a return to politics as public service’

"Change begins now," British Labour leader Keir Starmer said in a speech after his party won the national election, ending 14 years of Conservative government.

Ronan McGreevy in London
Fri Jul 5 2024 - 07:21

A jubilant Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has said burden has been lifted off the shoulders of “our great nation” by the end of 14 years of Tory rule.

Mr Starmer, who will go to Buckingham Palace later this morning to become prime minister, spoke early on Friday morning.

His party is projected to win 406 seats in the UK general election, albeit on a vote share of around 37 per cent.

He spoke as dawn broke over London referring to the “sunlight of hope, pale at first, that will get stronger through the day shining on a country that once again after 14 years has had its future back”.

READ MORE

“Today we start the next chapter – begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.”

He said to the party workers around him: “Thank you, you have truly changed our country.”

Earlier, on being re-elected, he promised an end to the “politics of performance and a return to politics as public service”.

Mr Starmer was re-elected in his Holborn & St Pancras constituency in central London in the early hours of Friday morning.

His majority of 11,572 was greatly diminished from 22,766 in 2019. Partially this was a result of a lower turnout of just 54 per cent in comparison with 65.1 per cent in 2019.

The other reason was the presence on the ballot of Andrew Feinstein, a Jewish son of Holocaust survivors and pro-Palestinian activist, who has been a fierce critic of Labour’s policy on the Gaza conflict. He got 7,312 votes.

Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak shouldered the burden for a “sobering verdict” at the election, as competing Tory factions began their battle over the diminished party’s future.

At his acceptance speech after being re-elected in Richmond and Northallerton, Mr Sunak said: “The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.”

Mr Sunak added: “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn … and I take responsibility for the loss.”

The Conservative leader said it had been a “difficult night” and apologised to party candidates who had lost their seats, as he held on to his own constituency.

The other big winner of the night was Reform leader Nigel Farage who finally got elected to the House of Commons on his eighth attempt. He had a majority of 8,405 over the sitting Conservative MP Giles Watling who had one of the safest Tory seats in the country before Mr Farage’s entry into the race.

The combative Mr Farage thanked the people of Clacton-on-Sea in Essex for electing him and posited there is “no enthusiasm for Keir Starmer and no enthusiasm for Labour”. He was “coming for Labour”.

Mr Farage reminded the huge media presence who turned up to the count centre that he had only decided four weeks and three days ago to throw his hat into the ring.

In that short period the party managed to get a projected 17 per cent of the national vote despite having “no money, no branch structure, virtually nothing across the country, but we are going to come second in hundreds of constituencies”.

“To have done that in such a short period of time says that something fundamental is happening. There is a massive gap. My job is to fill it and that is what I am going to do.

“My plan is to build a mass national movement, challenge the general election properly for 2029. Believe me this is just the first step of something that is going to stun all of you,” Mr Farage said.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times

LATEST STORIES