Sir Keir has formally become prime minister after visiting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, following Labour’s landslide election victory.
Sir Keir Starmer has been installed as prime minister and promised a crowd outside 10 Downing Street he would put “country first and party second.”
After coming directly from Buckingham Palace, where he had an audience with King Charles III on Friday morning and was invited to form a government, the Labour Party leader said the country had “voted decisively for change.”
Sir Keir said, “Public service is a privilege and your government should treat every single person in this country with respect.”
The Labour leader also said, “From now on, you have a government unburdened by doctrine only by the determination to serve your interest.”
Labour won 412 MPs in Parliament after a general election landslide victory which saw 12 Cabinet ministers lose their seats.
Among those who lost their seats was the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, who said, “Democracy is never wrong.”
Earlier the defeated Rishi Sunak, who resigned following an audience with the monarch, announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party, setting in motion the fourth leadership contest since 2019.
Mr. Sunak said: “To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry. I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change, and yours is the only judgment that matters.”
Earlier the defeated Rishi Sunak, who resigned following an audience with the monarch, announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party, setting in motion the fourth leadership contest since 2019.
Mr. Sunak said: “To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry. I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change, and yours is the only judgment that matters.”
All but two of the 650 seats in Parliament have now been declared.
