Labour wins landslide as Starmer becomes Prime Minister

Labour has won a landslide victory in the general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government. Keir Starmer has become Prime Minister.

Starmer was appointed by the King at Buckingham Palace on 5 July, after the results were declared overnight.

The result

Labour won 411 of the 650 seats, a majority of 174, one of the largest in modern history. The Conservatives won 121 seats, their worst result ever.

The Liberal Democrats won 72 seats, their best result for a century. Reform UK won five seats, including Clacton, where its leader, Nigel Farage, was elected to Parliament at the eighth attempt. The Greens won four.

The Scottish National Party was reduced to nine seats.

Low share of the vote

Despite winning so many seats, Labour won around 34 per cent of the vote, one of the lowest shares for a winning party. Turnout was around 60 per cent, one of the lowest since 1885.

Big names lose

A number of senior Conservatives lost their seats, including the former Prime Minister Liz Truss, the Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and the Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt.

Starmer's promise

Speaking outside Downing Street, Starmer promised a government of service and said the work of change begins immediately. He said he would rebuild trust in politics.

Rachel Reeves has been appointed as the first woman Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Sunak concedes

Rishi Sunak said the British people had delivered a sobering verdict and that he took responsibility for the loss. He will step down as Conservative leader once a successor is chosen.

Birmingham

In Birmingham, Labour held most of its seats, but lost Birmingham Perry Barr to an independent candidate, Ayoub Khan, and came close to losing Ladywood, where the independent Akhmed Yakoob ran Shabana Mahmood close. Mahmood has been appointed Justice Secretary.

Labour regained Birmingham Northfield from the Conservatives, while Andrew Mitchell held Sutton Coldfield for the Conservatives.

What next

The new government has promised to fix the NHS, build more homes and boost economic growth.