 "Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak & more: The big winners and casualties of UK elections")
The United Kingdom (UK) has woken up to welcome a new government. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has won the general elections, ending the 14-year rule of the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The outgoing premier has conceded defeat, taking responsibility for his party’s historic loss. Terming the results a “sobering verdict”, Sunak said he has called Starmer to “congratulate him on his victory.”
As Britain’s choice for change is clear, let’s take a look at how the bigwigs have fared in these elections.
Keir Starmer
“Change begins now.”
The Labour Party leader Keir Starmer is set to form the new government in the UK and replace Sunak as the prime minister.
He scripted a landslide victory for his party, capitalising on the major anti-incumbency against the Conservative government.
Starmer won his constituency of Holborn and St Pancras with 18,884 votes, with pro-Palestinian activist, independent Andrew Feinstein, in second place. Tory candidate Mehreen Malik was in the fourth place.
The Labour leader called his victory a “huge privilege”, but his margin significantly went down.
Addressing supporters in central London after Labour crossed the majority mark of 326, Starmer said, “thank you truly - you have changed our country”.
He said, “A mandate like this comes with a great responsibility”.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“We have to return politics to public service,” the Labour leader said, adding that his government will “show it can be a force for good”.
Starmer said earlier in the day, “You have voted, it is now time for us to deliver.”
Rishi Sunak
The
Conservative Party leader Sunak has retained his Richmond and Northallerton seat. Some opinion polls had predicted that he might not return as an MP in the House of Commons.
However, Sunak defied the polls to hold the seat with 23,059 votes. Labour’s Tom Wilson emerged as a runner-up with 10,874 votes.
While accepting the Conservatives’ defeat, Sunak apologised to Tory candidates. “The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight. There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss.
“To the many good hard working Conservative candidates who lost tonight despite their tireless efforts… I am sorry.”
Ed Davey
Ed Davey, the leader of Liberal Democrats, has bagged the Kingston and Surbiton seat, securing 25,870 votes and 51.1 per cent vote share.
Conservative Party candidate Helen Edward was on the second spot with 8,635 votes and a 17 per cent vote share.
Davey’s unconventional campaigning, which included him going down a water slide and bungee-jumping, brought an element of fun to the UK polls.
Following the exit poll results published at 2:30 am, he had said the Liberal Democrats were “on course for our best results in a century”.
“I am humbled by the millions of people who backed the Liberal Democrats to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs.”
Liz Truss
This is perhaps the most souring loss for the Conservatives.
Former UK PM Liz Truss was another casualty in these elections. The Tory leader lost from South West Norfolk to Labour’s Terry Jermy.
Truss was defeated by Jermy by a margin of 630 votes. She got 11,217 votes compared to his 11,847 votes.
Truss had won the seat with a huge majority of 26,195 in the 2019 general elections.
Her loss this time is more profound as South West Norfolk was considered a safe seat.
Truss was the UK PM’s less than two years back before being replaced by Sunak. Her turbulent less than 50-day in power is blamed by many Conservatives for the party’s crushing defeat in Thursday’s general elections.
Nigel Farage
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has won the Clacton seat with 21,225 votes, defeating Conservative candidate Giles Watling.
With his victory, Farage has finally made it to the UK Parliament on his eighth attempt.
His Reform UK party delivered a major blow to the Conservative support, winning more votes than the Tories across the UK, as per The Telegraph.
Riding high on his and his party’s success, Farage said the general election was the “beginning of the end” for the Tories, saying Reform will move ahead “very rapidly”.
He also has no plans to go easy on the incoming government, with Farage declaring “we are coming for Labour”.
Penny Mordaunt
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt was among the 10 other Cabinet ministers who failed to retain their seats.
Mordaunt was unseated by Labour’s Amanda Martin by a slim margin of 780 votes. The winner got 14,495 votes and the runner-up bagged 13,715 votes.
An MP since 2010, Mordaunt had become the first-ever female defence secretary in the Theresa May government.
According to Sky News, Mordaunt’s defeat would upset Tory moderates who viewed her as a potential successor to Sunak.
The other Cabinet ministers who joined the long list of Tory losers are education secretary Gillian Keegan, defence secretary Grant Shapps, justice secretary Alex Chalk, transport secretary Mark Harper, culture secretary Lucy Frazer, veterans minister Johnny Mercer, science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan, Wales secretary David Davies, attorney general Victoria Prentis and chief whip Simon Hart.
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, has clinched Islington North as an independent with 24,120 votes.
Corbyn defeated Labour candidate Praful Nargund to win the seat he has been representing as an MP for over 40 years.
Reacting to the result, he said, “I want to place on record my enormous thanks to the people of Islington North for electing me for the 11th time.”
“We have shown what kinder, gentler and more sensible, more inclusive politics can bring about,” he added.
Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party in 2020 after his response to an antisemitism report.
He led Labour between 2015 and 2020, stepping down from the role after the devastating results of the 2019 general election, reported Sky News.
Jeremy Hunt
British finance minister Jeremy Hunt saved his Godalming and Ash seat in Surrey with 23,293 votes despite a series of big Tory losses.
Paul Follows of the Liberal Democrat stood second with 22,402 votes.
Hunt’s defeat was predicted but he proved the polls wrong.
Acknowledging the massive rout for the Conservatives, Hunt said, “Across the country, tonight is a bitter pill to swallow for the Conservative Party.
He said, “Some Conservatives will wonder if the scale of our crushing defeat is justified” but the Party should now have “the courage and humanity to ask” itself why it lost and what it must do to ”earn back” the support of the country, The Telegraph reported.
Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, has won the Ashton-under-Lyne seat with 15,575 votes. She defeated Reform UK’s Robert Barrowcliffe, who secured 8,784 votes.
A self-proclaimed socialist, Rayner is set to become Deputy Prime Minister in the Labour government.
In a speech after her victory, she said, “It is a vote for change. It is a vote for an end to division and to bring our country together. To replace self-service with public service, to take what is broken, and begin to rebuild it. And to restore the belief of those who have had hope taken away.
“It is with a real sense of pride that we have changed the Labour Party to offer that unity of purpose. That vision of renewal that our country so desperately needs. Today is our chance to turn the page and start a new chapter,” she was quoted as saying by Manchester Evening News.
Suella Braverman
The former controversial UK home secretary, Suella Braverman won the Fareham and Waterlooville seat with 17,561 seats, trouncing Labour’s Gemma Furnivall.
Braverman apologised to the British public for the Conservative Pary’s dismal performance across the country.
She said, “I want to briefly address the results around the country, and there’s only one thing I can say… sorry. I’m sorry,”
“The Great British people voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises… we acted like we were entitled to your votes,” she added.
Braverman was sacked by Sunak late last year after her comments about the police’s handling of a pro-Palestine march.
She was succeeded by James Cleverly who has also held his seat in Braintree.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
