Labour’s Landslide Victory: Sir Keir Starmer Poised to Lead as Tories Face Historic Defeat

'Voters have made their voices heard,' declares Sir Keir Starmer, as Labour heads toward a decisive victory

Anticipated to be the next UK prime minister, the Labour chief stated that citizens across the nation have "expressed their desire for change", following significant losses among Conservative cabinet members.

Political journalist @NifS

Friday, July 5, 2024, at 4

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In his initial public appearance after an exit poll forecasted a significant victory for Labour in the general election, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to restore the notion of politics as a form of public service.

Following his victory in his north London constituency, the Labour leader stated that citizens across the nation have expressed their desire for transformation, to move away from superficial political practices.

He stated, "The transformation starts now. This is your government, your neighborhood, and your future. You've cast your votes. Now, it's our turn to make good on those promises."

The latest exit poll indicates that the Labour Party is expected to secure 410 seats, achieving a substantial majority of 170 seats in the House of Commons.

This is in contrast to forecasts suggesting that Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party may only secure 131 seats, marking the lowest number of seats ever held by the party.

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The Labour Party has seen a number of victories as the election results come in, with ex-minister Sir Robert Buckland being the first Conservative to lose his seat tonight.

Prime Minister Sunak's administration has experienced significant losses, as key members including Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, and Chief Whip Simon Hart have all been ousted by various opposing parties.

In a surprising turn of events, the Labour Party has been defeated in Islington North by its former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who ran as an independent candidate.

They've also been defeated in Leicester South, where another independent candidate unseated shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth, seemingly due to disagreements with the party's stance on the Israel-Gaza situation. Additionally, in Bristol Central, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer triumphed over shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire.

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In a significant setback for the Conservative Party, Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage achieved victory in Clacton after seven previous attempts, marking his first parliamentary success. He was joined by ex-Conservative Lee Anderson, who secured the Ashfield constituency, and Rupert Lowe, who claimed victory in Great Yarmouth for the party.

The surge saw numerous Reform candidates securing the runner-up position in constituencies traditionally held by Labour, relegating the Conservatives to third or sometimes even fourth place.

Following his electoral victory, Mr. Farage described his party's success as "remarkably outstanding," and noted, "There's a significant void in the center-right of British politics that I intend to occupy."

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The Liberal Democrats have successfully increased their representation, capturing several new constituencies such as Chichester, where they unseated cabinet member Ms. Keegan. This surge indicates they are likely to send a significantly larger group of MPs to the Commons.

The exit survey forecasts a total of 61 seats for them, whereas the SNP might drop to only 10 seats, potentially becoming the fourth largest party behind the Lib Dems.

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats stated: "Across regions from the West Country to Greater Manchester, areas are turning gold as the Liberal Democrats achieve significant wins in areas previously dominated by the Conservative Party."

Mark Francois, the leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), was the first Tory to successfully retain his position during the election night, despite losing more than 35% of his previous vote share.

George Galloway, who had previously secured the Rochdale seat in an earlier by-election this year, has been ousted. The community instead elected Paul Waugh, a Labour candidate and former political journalist, to represent them.

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Ms. Reeves conveyed to Sky News that she fully recognizes the significant difficulties her party will encounter should they come into power. She stated, "We cannot commit to immediate transformations, but we are prepared to initiate the process of reconstructing our economy, fostering economic growth, and revitalizing the public services that have been severely overlooked by the current Conservative government."

In a conversation with Sky News, ex-Tory cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom described the evening as "devastating" for her party. She attributed the significant projected losses to the party's failure to adhere sufficiently to traditional Conservative principles, which she believed would have attracted more voters.

"She expressed skepticism about a significant surge in support for Labour," she commented. "However, she believes that many are quite upset with the Conservatives."

"I believe that Reform has greatly benefited from this since they've positioned themselves as a protest movement… and now we need to reconsider our approach."

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The initial vote counts began to be reported shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, following a six-week campaign initiated by Mr. Sunak amid heavy rain in Downing Street, during which Labour consistently led in the polls.

Throughout his campaign, he has encountered several setbacks, ranging from his early departure from D-Day commemorations to his party's involvement in a gambling controversy.

However, the prime minister declared his determination to "battle" against a Labour "supermajority."

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