LONDON – The Labour Party has won the early general elections in the UK, ending the Conservative Party’s 14-year tenure. Sir Keir Starmer is set to become the new prime minister.
With votes counted for 533 out of 650 seats, Labour has secured 364 seats, far surpassing the 326 needed for a majority. The Conservatives have won 87 seats, and the Liberal Democrats 50.
Exit polls predicted Labour would win 401 seats, Conservatives 163, Liberal Democrats 50, the Scottish National Party 8, and Reform UK 4.
Pakistani-origin Labour leader Naz Shah has won from Bradford West, while Yasmin Qureshi successfully defended her seat for the third time.
Rishi Sunak concedes defeat
Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged Labour’s victory and congratulated Sir Keir Starmer.
Starmer declares time for change
In his victory speech, Sir Keir Starmer declared, “It’s time for change in the UK. We must transform politics into public service, work hard to lift the nation out of crises, and meet the public’s expectations for change.”
Starmer won his seat in Holborn and St Pancras with 18,884 votes, defeating independent candidate Andrew Feinstein, who garnered 7,312 votes, and Green Party’s David Stansel, who received 4,003 votes.
Significant wins and losses
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk lost his seat in Cheltenham to the Liberal Democrats. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was defeated in Welwyn Hatfield by Labour’s Andrew Lewin, who secured 19,877 votes to Shapps’ 16,078.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn won Islington as an independent, securing 24,120 votes against Labour’s Praful Nargund, who received 16,000 votes. Corbyn was expelled from Labour over anti-Semitism allegations and has now won his seat for the 11th time.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage won in Clacton, marking his first electoral victory after eight attempts. Meanwhile, Workers Party leader George Galloway lost his Rochdale seat.
Pakistani-origin Rosena Allin-Khan was re-elected from Tooting, with 29,209 votes, securing 55% of the vote. She previously garnered over 30,000 votes.
In a surprising turn, independent candidate Shaukat Adam defeated Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South, while Labour’s Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi successfully defended his seat in Slough.
