Labor Party leader Keir Starmer will become the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after a landslide victory in Thursday’s election results.
The Social Democrat has been the party’s leader since 2020, but also has an unexpected title – knighthood – that could prevent that.
– It has been a burden for him, says James Savage, founder of The Local newspaper.
Keir Starmer’s social democratic Labor party won a large majority in Thursday’s election results in the British election, thus regaining power after 14 years in opposition. Labor won 410 of the House of Commons’ 650 seats, and Keir Starmer thus becomes the new Prime Minister.
– The voters have spoken and they are ready for change, says Labor leader Keir Starmer during a victory speech on Friday morning, after being elected in his constituency in north London.
– It is now time for us to deliver, Starmer continues and at the same time promises to take British politics “back to the service of the public”.
Knighthood
Starmer is basically from the working class with a father who worked in a factory and a mother who worked as a nurse, according to James Savage. But since then he has made a big class trip and was also knighted by the British royal house in 2014.
A social democratic leader receiving a knighthood has been described as unusual in Great Britain.
– The knighthood has been a burden for him, I would say. He got it because he was the Attorney General of Great Britain. He has been a very successful lawyer and civil servant, says James Savage.
In 2020, Starmer was elected as leader of the Labor Party after his predecessor Jeremy Corbin.
It’s happening now
On Friday, sitting Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak will go to the head of state, King Charles, to announce his resignation.
– A short time later, Keir Starmer will come in and be asked to form a government by the head of state, King Charles, says Nicholas Aylott, at the Foreign Policy Institute and associate professor at Södertörn University.
– So there are a few minutes there that we don’t have a prime minister and everyone in the security services always gets a little worried that something could happen in those minutes, says James Savage.
Later on Friday, Keir Starmer will then appoint the main roles in his government by selecting ministers, according to Nicholas Aylott.