UK Elections: Rishi Sunak Congratulates Labour on Victory

If the polls are to be believed, the Conservative Party, most recently led by Rishi Sunak and in government for 14 years, has suffered one of the worst defeats in its history. Sunak will have to resign as prime minister on Friday. In May, when his popularity was at its lowest, he shocked even his own party when he unexpectedly called an election.

He will now be replaced as the new leader of the Labour government by Sir Keir Starmer. Starmer is also expected to be received by King Charles III on Friday. He will be appointed prime minister and move to No. 10 Downing Street. Such a replacement is usually carried out very quickly in London because alliances are not usually required.

The Labour Party celebrated early in the night. According to expectations, Labour had achieved a record result. The party gained new constituencies across the country.

The Conservatives, who won 365 seats under Boris Johnson at the last election in December 2019, now look set to have to make do with just over a third of those seats. A bitter internal power struggle had been expected for the party, with some observers even predicting an imminent split.

Among the smaller parties, the Liberal Democrats, a moderate progressive party, have taken a number of votes and constituencies from the Conservatives, increasing their seats from 11 to 61, according to exit polls.

The right-wing populist Reform Party – the former Brexit Party – was forecast to win 13 seats, far more than previously expected. The party is led by Nigel Farage, a former Brexit campaigner who feels close to Donald Trump.

The British Green Party is said to have won only two seats. The Scottish National Party, which stood only in Scotland, lost heavily. In fact, it was forecast to win only 10 seats instead of 48. The SNP has lost significant support in recent years, especially after the arrest of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband on suspicion of financial fraud. (Ben)