海角大神

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would lead a 鈥済overnment of service鈥� on a mission of national renewal in his first official remarks Friday after his Labour Party swept to power in a landslide victory after more than a decade in opposition.

Mr. Starmer acknowledged in his first speech outside 10 Downing St. that many people are disillusioned and cynical about politics, but said his government would try to restore faith in government.

鈥淢y government will fight every day until you believe again,鈥� Mr. Starmer said as supporters cheered him on outside 10 Downing St.

鈥淭he work for change begins immediately,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e will rebuild Britain. 鈥�. Brick by brick we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity.鈥�

In the merciless choreography of British politics, Mr. Starmer took over the official residence about two hours after Conservative leader Rishi Sunak and his family left the home and the king accepted the Conservative leader鈥檚 resignation.

鈥淭his is a difficult day, but I leave this job honored to have been prime minister of the best country in the world,鈥� Mr. Sunak said in his farewell address.

Mr. Sunak had conceded defeat earlier in the morning, saying the voters had delivered a 鈥渟obering verdict.鈥�

In a reflective farewell speech in the same place where he had called for the snap election six weeks earlier, Mr. Sunak wished Mr. Starmer all the best but also acknowledged his own missteps.

鈥淚 have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss,鈥� Mr. Sunak said. 鈥淭o all the Conservative candidates and campaigners who worked tirelessly but without success, I鈥檓 sorry that we could not deliver what your efforts deserved.鈥�

Labour鈥檚 triumph and challenges

With results for all but two seats, Labour had won 412 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons and the Conservatives 121. The Conservatives鈥� previous worst result was 156 seats in 1906.

For Mr. Starmer, it鈥檚 a massive triumph that will bring huge challenges, as he faces a weary electorate impatient for change against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions, and a fraying social fabric.

鈥淣othing has gone well in the last 14 years,鈥� said London voter James Erskine, who was optimistic for change in the hours before polls closed. 鈥淚 just see this as the potential for a seismic shift, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 hoping for.鈥�

And that鈥檚 what Mr. Starmer promised, saying 鈥渃hange begins now.鈥�

Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King鈥檚 College London, said British voters were about to see a marked change in political atmosphere from the tumultuous 鈥減olitics as pantomime鈥� of the last few years.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to have to get used again to relatively stable government, with ministers staying in power for quite a long time, and with government being able to think beyond the very short term to medium-term objectives,鈥� he said.

Britain has experienced a run of turbulent years聽鈥� some of it of the Conservatives鈥� own making and some of it not聽鈥� that has left many voters pessimistic about their country鈥檚 future. The U.K. divorce from the European Union followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine battered the economy, while lockdown-breaching parties held by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff caused widespread anger.

Rising poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and overstretched National Health Service have led to gripes about 鈥淏roken Britain.鈥�

Johnson鈥檚 successor, Liz Truss, rocked the economy further with a package of drastic tax cuts and lasted just 49 days in office. Ms. Truss, who lost her seat to Labour, was one of a slew of senior Tories kicked out in a stark electoral reckoning.

While the result appears to buck recent rightward electoral shifts in Europe, including in France and Italy, many of those same populist undercurrents flow in Britain. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage roiled the race with his party鈥檚 anti-immigrant 鈥渢ake our country back鈥� sentiment and undercut support for the Conservatives and even grabbed some voters from Labour.

Conservative vote collapses as smaller parties surge

The result is a catastrophe for the Conservatives as voters punished them for 14 years of presiding over austerity, Brexit, a pandemic, political scandals, and internecine conflict.

The historic defeat聽鈥� the smallest number of seats in the party鈥檚 two-century history聽鈥� leaves it depleted and in disarray and will spark an immediate contest to replace Mr. Sunak, who said he would step down as leader.

In a sign of the volatile public mood and anger at the system, the incoming Parliament will be more fractured and ideologically diverse than any for years. Smaller parties picked up millions of votes, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and Mr. Farage鈥檚 Reform UK. It won four seats, including one for Mr. Farage in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, securing a place in Parliament on his eighth attempt.

The Liberal Democrats won about 70 seats, on a slightly lower share of the vote than Reform because its votes were more efficiently distributed. In Britain鈥檚 first-past-the-post system, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins.

The Green Party won four seats, up from just one before the election.

One of the biggest losers was the Scottish National Party, which held most of Scotland鈥檚 57 seats before the election but looked set to lose all but handful, mostly to Labour.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Associated Press journalists Danica Kirka, Pan Pylas, Poppy Askham, Bela Szandelszky in London and Tian Macleod Ji in Henley-on-Thames contributed.