The early results of Thursday's parliamentary election in the United Kingdom suggest Keir Starmer-led Labour Party is set for a landslide win, ending the 14-year-long reign of the Conservative Party. While the results of 117 out of the total 650 seats were declared, the Labour Party is racing far ahead with 101. For Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led Tories, it is a carnage with a mere 10 seats.
Exit Polls predict over 400 seats for the Labour Party, an astonishing reversal of fortunes from five years ago when it suffered its worst performance since 1935. Sunak's party were forecast to only win 131 seats, the worst electoral performance in its history, with reports hinting that the Prime Minister would announce his resignation in hours.
The Liberal Democrats led by Sir Ed Davey was expected to take 61 seats, Nigel Farage's Reform UK 13, the Scottish National Party (SNP) 10, Plaid Cymru four, and the Greens two, according to the exit polls.
At the last general election in 2019, the Conservatives won 365 seats to Labour’s 203. The SNP won 48 seats and the Lib Dems had just 11.
Starmer, who is set to become the next Prime Minister of Britain, took centre stage to address the public as early leads poured in. Starmer said the country had voted for change and it was time for his party to deliver, "Tonight people here and around the country have spoken, and they're ready for change," Starmer said after being re-elected as MP for Holborn and St Pancras. "The change begins right here."
Starmer thanked all those involved in the count and his fellow candidates. He said the heart of our democracy beats not in Westminster or Whitehall, but in town halls, community centres and in the hands of people who hold the vote. "Change begins in this community with the people who came together to make life better," he said. He thanked his wife and family for keeping him 'grounded'.
He said it is a "huge privilege" to be re-elected to serve Holborn and St Pancras. It is "my home, where my kids have grown up, where my wife was born," he says of the area.
Sunak conceded defeat in the national election on Friday, saying the opposition Labour Party had won."The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," Sunak said after winning his parliamentary seat in northern England."Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and
orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future."
The surge of Reforms UK
The election also saw the surge of the Reform UK party, headed by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. Interestingly, Farage himself was elected to the Parliament for the first time after he touted the Conservative Party candidate in the seaside English town of Clacton-on-Sea.
Farage, known for his ultranationalistic stance, including anti-immigration and pro-Brexit campaigning, has made him one of Britain's most recognisable and divisive political figures. The party is forecast to win 13, far more than expected, pushing the Conservatives into third place in many areas.
"Reform has clearly done well tonight and I know the reaction of some of my colleagues will be that we should lurch to the right," one Conservative lawmaker, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
The fall of Tories
When Rishi Sunak announced the elections in May, earlier than needed, he aimed to cushion the impending drubbing by closing in the gap with Labour.
But, what ensued was a disastrous campaign, which included aides and Conservative candidates getting caught up in a gambling scandal and Sunak's early departure from D-Day commemorative events in France.
The Conservative Party was already mired in multiple scandals - most notably revelations of parties in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns which resulted in the ouster of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This was followed by Liz Truss' disastrous six-week premiership and Sunak was unable to make any dent in Labour's now commanding poll lead.
"We deserved to lose. The Conservative Party just appears exhausted and out of ideas," Ed Costello, the chairman of the Grassroots Conservatives organisation, which represents rank-and-file members, told Reuters. "But it is not all Rishi Sunaks fault. It is Boris Johnson and Liz Truss that have led the party to disaster. Rishi Sunak is just the fall guy."