The U.K.’s opposition Labour Party won a huge parliamentary majority in the country’s general election, unseating the incumbent Conservatives after 14 years.
Early on Friday morning, Labour passed the threshold needed to govern alone as outgoing PM Rishi Sunak conceded defeat. Keir Starmer, leader of the center-left Labour, will become the country’s next prime minister and declared victory in the early hours.
Departing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to make a final statement near 10:30 a.m. London time before tendering his resignation to King Charles III in Buckingham Palace.
Keir Starmer will then arrive at the palace for his own royal audience, during which the king will officially ask him to form a new government.
After this, Britain’s new prime minister will arrive at Downing Street and is expected to make a statement near 12:20 p.m. local time.
“We did it,” he said, addressing his Labour colleagues. “You campaigned for it, you fought for it — and now it has arrived … change begins now.”
Some projections show Labour will gain its second-largest majority after former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s 179-seat majority in 1997.
Millions of people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday voted for their local representatives in the 650-member House of Commons, the U.K.’s lower house of parliament. Ballots are still being counted, with constituencies announcing their winning candidate as soon as votes are tallied.
Here are the seats that have been declared so far:
Departing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to make a final statement near 10:30 a.m. London time before tendering his resignation to King Charles III in Buckingham Palace.
Keir Starmer will then arrive at the palace for his own royal audience, during which the king will officially ask him to form a new government.
After this, Britain’s new prime minister will arrive at Downing Street and is expected to make a statement near 12:20 p.m. local time.
