Keir Starmer has declared “we did it” and “change begins now” just moments after Labour secured a historic victory at the General Election.
“It feels good – I have to be honest,” the incoming Prime Minister told supporters in central London as Labour officially passed the 326 seat line for a majority in the House of Commons.
Mr Starmer said the UK was waking up this morning to “the sunlight of hope”, which was “shining once again on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back”.
The Labour leader said: “We did it. You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived: change begins now. It feels good, I have to be honest.
“Four and a half years of work changing the party, this is what it is for: a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people. And across our country, people will be waking up to the news, relief that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation.
“And now we can look forward, walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back.” He added: “Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideals that hold this country together.”
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Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
His speech came just moments after a defeated Rishi Sunak said he had called the Labour leader to congratulate him on the General Election victory. The PM said voters had delivered a “sobering verdict” on his party after 14 years in power. He added: “The Labour Party has won this General Election, and I’ve called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.
“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future.”
Early morning results showed the Tories on course for their worst ever result after being annihilated in seats across the country. Eight Cabinet Ministers, including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, and the Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, all lost their seats as results trickled in.
Neil Kinnock said Labour’s victory was “the greatest comeback since Lazarus”. “I must say I’m just ecstatic about the fact that an entirely dependable, fully grown-up guy, Keir Starmer, and his wife, are going to go through that door tomorrow,” he added. “I have unalloyed and unreserved delight.”
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Lord Mandelson said he was “gobsmacked”. “I think that an electoral meteor has now struck planet Earth,” he added. “This is an extraordinary achievement for Keir Starmer and his team. Nobody in 2019, nobody would have imagined this was possible.”
Rachel Reeves said Labour’s victory represented “a page turned, a new chapter started” as she won her seat in Leeds West and Pudsey. The would-be Chancellor said it was a “chance to look ahead to a brighter future that seemed so remote for so long”.
She added: “We have campaigned as we mean to go on as a government of unity, not of division, a government of wealth creation and a government in the national interest… That is our promise to Britain… We will not let you down. I will not let you down.”