UK: What next for Labour's landslide win?

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“Change starts now,” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised his supporters in his victory speech.

After the third. With a ceremonial handshake with King Caroli, Starmer, 61, officially became prime minister and could form a majority government.

In the 650-member House of Representatives, only two seats need to be decided, and Labour won an overwhelming majority, taking 412 seats after winning 211.

The previous government's right-wing Conservative Party now has just 121 seats – a loss of 250 – and the centrist Liberal Democrats 71, a gain of 63 seats.

Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told supporters in his re-elected Richmond and Northallerton constituency that he bore the brunt of his party's historic defeat.

Sunak then returned to 10 Downing Street, the home and office of British prime ministers since 1735.

In his final speech as prime minister, Sunak said he was honoured to lead “the best country in the world” and said the British people had “made a sobering judgment”.

He then visited Buckingham Palace where he formally tendered his resignation to the third monarch. For King Charles, it was a historic formality, because although the monarch is head of state, he has no real power in the political processes of the United Kingdom.

However, the King still meets weekly with the Prime Minister to discuss government matters. Although the ruler is politically neutral, he still has the right to “advise and warn” the Prime Minister if he deems it necessary.

The King then asked Starmer to form a new government, in accordance with ancient tradition.

It wasn't long before Starmer entered 10 Downing Street for the first time to begin forming his new government.

The monarch will return to the public eye later this month at the State Opening of Parliament. He will then deliver a written address to the incoming government in a joint session of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, setting out his legislative programme.

National Renewal

Starmer said the focus of his political ambitions for the next five years was to put “country first and party second” and that the government would focus on “national renewal”.

“We need to bring politics back into public service,” he said.

Labour’s manifesto, a document outlining the party’s policy priorities, lists five goals for the group. These include stimulating economic growth; promoting clean energy; reducing violent crime; reforming education; and improving and investing in the struggling National Health Service.

Labour can set the political agenda for the first time in 14 years, but with Starmer, it faces enormous challenges. The former barrister and director of public prosecutions faces a population eager for change, against a backdrop of a bleak economy, growing distrust of state institutions and a disintegration of the social fabric.

Labour's Rachel Reeves, who will become the UK's first female chancellor, said she had “no illusions” about the scale of the challenge. “The seriousness of the Tory legacy is truly appalling,” she told reporters.

Reeves noted that the UK’s debt burden is 100% of the country’s national income and that tax burdens are at their highest level in seven decades. He said he “can’t promise to change everything immediately”, but that the main task of the next Labour government will be to stimulate economic growth.

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However, according to Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King's College London, British voters may be reassured by the relative stability of the new government.

He said voters could be filled with confidence that “ministers will stay in power long enough and that the government is able to think about medium-term goals beyond very short-term ones.”

The first session of Parliament is scheduled to begin next Tuesday, and the agenda item will be the election of the Speaker of the Council. The official opening of Parliament and the King's speech are scheduled for Wednesday, July 17.