Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks back after speaking to the media and supporters supporters in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Stammer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Keir Starmer has swept into Downing Street for the first time as UK prime minister, promising urgent action to restore the country’s fortunes.
The Labour party leader oversaw a landslide victory in Thursday’s general election, ending 14 years of rule by Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
“The work of change begins immediately,” Starmer tells reporters outside Downing Street after accepting head of state King Charles III’s request for him to form a government.
“But have no doubt, we will rebuild Britain,” he adds.
Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer and chief state prosecutor, pays tribute to Sunak, who was appointed Tory leader and prime minister in October 2022 after Liz Truss’s disastrous tenure.
“His achievement as the first British-Asian prime minister of our country, the extra effort that that will have required, should not be underestimated by anyone,” he says.
“We pay tribute to that today. We also recognize the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership,” he adds.
Newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria Starmer enter his official London residence at No 10 Downing Street for the first time after the Labour Party won a landslide victory at the 2024 General Election, Friday July 5, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/pool photo via AP)
His government, he says, will put “country first, party second,” promising to restore “respect for politics,” after a succession of scandals under the Tories that eroded public trust.
But he sought to temper high expectations of an immediate transformation. “Changing a country is not like flicking a switch,” he says.
“The world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while. But have no doubt that the work of change begins immediately.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 5, 2024
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
