STORY: ::July 5, 2024
:: The UK has voted to end the 'politics of
performance,' says Keir Starmer
:: London
:: Keir Starmer/Labour Leader
''Because tonight people here and around the country have spoken and they're ready for change to end the politics of performance. A return to politics as public service. The change begins right here because this is your democracy, your community and your future. You have voted. It is now time for us to deliver. Thank you very much.''
Exit polls published earlier showed Labour winning the national election with a clear majority, placing Starmer on track to take over as prime minister from Rishi Sunak.
Centre-left Labour was on course to capture 410 of the 650 seats in parliament, an astonishing reversal of fortunes from five years ago when it suffered its worst performance since 1935.
The result would give Labour a majority of 170 and would bring the curtain down on 14 years of increasingly tumultuous Conservative-led government.
