Sir Keir Starmer: New Prime Minister to ‘rebuild Britain’ but warns it will take years

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday vowed to “rebuild Britain” – but warned that it would take years.

Speaking on the steps of No 10 after being appointed as Prime Minister by the King, Sir Keir said the country had voted ‘decisively for change’, but admitted delivering it was “not like flicking a switch”.

He said his mission was “national renewal”, adding: “Our work is urgent and we begin it today.”

The new PM also reached out to the millions who did not vote for him as he took power on the back of what has been dubbed a “loveless landslide”.

At a victory rally for Labour activists in the early hours of yesterday, Sir Keir boasted, “We did it”, as he brought an end to 14 years of Tory rule.

But, with results showing he won power with the smallest share of the vote in modern history, he later struck a conciliatory tone and acknowledged there was a public “weariness” with politicians.

He said: “Whether you voted Labour or not — in fact, especially if you did not — I say to you, directly, my government will serve you.

“Politics can be a force for good — we will show that. And that is how we will govern. Country first, party second.”

It came as:

• Rachel Reeves vowed to refocus the Treasury on growth and put women at the centre of economic policy as she became Britain’s first female Chancellor;
• Rishi Sunak apologised to the country and the Conservative Party after suffering the biggest electoral drubbing in Tory history;
• The King told Sir Keir he must be “utterly exhausted and nearly on your knees” during their meeting at Buckingham Palace;
• Sir Keir installed Angela Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister as he appointed his first Cabinet;
• Liz Truss became the highest-profile victim on a night of carnage for the Tories, which also saw Penny Mordaunt and Grant Shapps lose their seats;
• Former business secretary Kemi Badenoch is favourite to become the next Tory leader after holding her North West Essex seat;
• Reform gained a fifth MP, as analysis showed Nigel Farage’s party had cost the Conservatives dozens of seats and helped hand a huge majority to Labour;
• New Health Secretary Wes Streeting said talks to end the long-running junior doctors’ strike would start next week;
• A Labour inquest began after the party lost four seats to pro- Palestine independents, with the shadow paymaster general among the victims and Mr Streeting clinging on by just 500 votes.

Sir Keir vowed to govern “unburdened by doctrine” and after years of political turbulence he pledged to restore trust in politics and steer the UK to “calmer waters”.

But he warned expectant voters it would take time to deliver results.

“Changing a country is not like flicking a switch,” he said.

“And the world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while.

“But have no doubt that the work of change begins immediately. Have no doubt that we will rebuild Britain, with wealth created in every community.

“Our NHS back on its feet facing the future. Secure borders, safer streets, everyone treated with dignity and respect at work. The opportunity of clean British power, cutting your energy bills for good.

“Brick by brick, we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity. The world-class schools and colleges, the affordable homes that I know are the ingredients of hope for working people. The security, the working-class families like mine could build their lives around.”

Sir Keir won a stunning landslide victory with a majority of 174 seats.

In total, Labour won 412 seats, with the Tories slumping to 121, the Lib Dems surging to 71 and Reform and the Greens making breakthroughs with five and four seats respectively.

But the one-sided result was not reflected in the number of votes cast.

Labour’s projected vote share of 33.7 per cent is the lowest of any party winning power with a majority in modern times and is far below the 43.6 per cent share achieved by Boris Johnson in 2019 or even the 40 per cent recorded by Jeremy Corbyn when he lost in 2017.

Labour’s total vote also went down from 10.3 million in 2019 to 9.7 million.

But the Tory vote halved from 14 million to 6.8 million as the Conservatives suffered heavy inroads from both Reform and tactical voting for the Lib Dems.

Former Tory MP Sir Michael Fabricant, who lost his seat in Lichfield, described the result as “the most distorted in history”.

He added: “Labour won nearly two thirds of all parliamentary seats with just a third of the popular vote”.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said: “This looks more like an election the Conservatives lost than one Labour won.”

Sir Keir’s speech came shortly after Mr Sunak headed to Buckingham Palace to resign as Prime Minister.

“To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry,” the Tory leader said.

“I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the Government of the United Kingdom must change. And yours is the only judgment that matters.

“I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss.”

Mr Sunak faced an immediate Tory backlash for both the timing and the content of a campaign which were widely thought to have contributed to the party’s worst-ever defeat.

One former Cabinet minister said the Tories were left vulnerable by a “Boris-shaped hole in our defences through which Reform were able to stroll unchallenged.

“It was brought about by our own MPs’ actions and a s..t campaign for no good reason.”

Mr Sunak also announced he is quitting as Tory leader but indicated he will stay on to oversee the contest to succeed him.

In a speech to Treasury officials last night, Ms Reeves said the Government would work “hand in glove” with business as it made boosting economic growth its “central mission”.

She said she intended to preside over “the most pro-growth Treasury in our country’s history”.

And she vowed to use her position to prioritise a better deal for women, saying she had a “deeper responsibility ... to women whose work is too often undervalued”.

In a speech to Department of Health staff, Mr Streeting said the NHS was “broken”, with “patients being failed on a daily basis”.