Britain’s general election was held on the Fourth of July, and British people came out in droves to declare their independence from the Tory Party’s chokehold on Britain for the past thirteen years and five prime ministers. The Tories oversaw Brexit, a significantly faltering economy, a diminished standing in European politics and global politics and, let’s not forget, Sussexit happened on the Tories’ watch. Rishi Sunak has offered his resignation and accepted responsibility for the Conservative Party’s historic defeat. I’m not a Sunak apologist or anything, but it wasn’t entirely his fault, right? This was a backlash against the party writ large, not Sunak specifically. If anything, it feels like people are still mad as hell at Boris Johnson.
Britain’s new prime minister is Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who can be seen in these photos with his wife Victoria. He will meet with King Charles today and do the ring-kiss thing and then he has to form a government. But first, let’s talk about Labour’s historic landslide:
An earthquake in British politics. With far-right politics ascendant across the English Channel in France, the United Kingdom has swung in the opposite direction. Official election results Friday showed a landslide victory for the country’s center-left Labour Party — its first victory in 19 years, since under the leadership of Tony Blair.
Incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed his win as historic, saying early Friday: “Change begins now.”
“We can look forward again. Walk into the morning,” Starmer told supporters before dawn. “The sunlight of hope, pale at first, but getting stronger through the day.”
For the Conservatives — the party of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and the incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak — it was the worst defeat in their party’s nearly 200-year history. Prominent lawmakers including former Prime Minister Liz Truss, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Penny Mordaunt lost their seats in the U.K. parliament. Sunak retained his seat but resigned Friday as Conservative Party leader, and apologized to the country.
“I am sorry. I have given this job my all but you have sent a clear signal, that the government of the United Kingdom must change,” Sunak told reporters as he and his wife left the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street for the last time. “I have heard your anger, your disappointment and I take responsibility for this loss.”
After 14 years in power, the Conservatives were punished at the polls for all the tumult that occurred on their watch: Brexit, which most Britons now regret; Johnson’s Partygate scandal, in which the then-prime minister threw parties while the country was under COVID-19 lockdown and lied about them; and the disastrous 2022 budget of Johnson’s successor Liz Truss, which sent shockwaves through financial markets. Britain now has more children in poverty than any other wealthy country, according to the United Nations. Without London, it’s poorer than Mississippi.
This election also upended the U.K’s two-party system, with surging support for smaller parties. The environmentalist Green Party had its most successful election night ever, winning a record four seats — up from one in the previous parliamentary session. The centrist Liberal Democrats multiplied their representation in Parliament. And the far-right, anti-immigrant Reform UK Party will enter Parliament for the first time, with four seats — among them, one for its leader, Brexiteer Nigel Farage, who ran and lost seven times previously.
In Scotland, the once-hegemonic Scottish National Party — which has lobbied for Scottish independence from Britain — was decimated, with Labour taking most of the SNP’s seats. In Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K, the nationalist Sinn Fein party — which wants Northern Ireland to gain independence from Britain and join the Republic of Ireland to its south — won the most seats, becoming the region’s biggest party in the U.K. Parliament.
The Scottish part is interesting, but I don’t completely understand what it means. Is the dream of Scexit over? Because it honestly felt like Scottish support for independence was growing every year? Or was the Labour support less about independence and more about throwing out all of the Tories in general? Anyway, congrats to all of the British peeps who came together to throw out those Tory a–holes. There’s a scary rise of right-wing ideology happening in many European countries, but British people said no, we want a more progressive government. Good for you guys.
Update: Starmer arrived at Buckingham Palace an hour ago and here’s the photo of Starmer meeting King Charles.
King Charles III welcomes Sir Keir Starmer during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government following the landslide General Election victory for the Labour Party.
Pic PA pic.twitter.com/RYjnV8JTG9
— Elliot Wagland (@elliotwagland) July 5, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.