With many results still to be announced from Thursday’s vote, Labour has already won more than 326 of the 650 seats in Parliament, with an exit poll suggesting it would capture about 410.
Speaking after Labour’s majority was confirmed, Starmer said the fight for trust would be the “battle that defines our age” and he would be judged on his ability to show that politics could be a force for good in the world.
Starmer, who’ll lead the centre-left party into power just as the far right makes gains in Europe, said his mandate from the British people was a “great responsibility” and he pledged to start work straightaway on improving the country.
“Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together: national renewal,” he told supporters.
On a humiliating night for Sunak, the Conservatives were predicted to suffer the worst performance in the party’s long history with voters punishing them for a cost of living crisis, failing public services and a series of scandals.
“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,” Starmer said after winning his seat in London.
“The change begins right here ... You have voted. It is now time for us to deliver.”
Sunak conceded defeat and said he had called Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts as he waits for the count and declaration for the Richmond and Northallerton constituency during the UK general election. Photo / Getty Images
“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides,” he said after regaining his seat. “There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative candidates ... I am sorry.”
Starmer comes to power at a time when the country is facing a series of daunting challenges.
Britain’s tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War II, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen, and public services are creaking, especially the much cherished National Health Service which has been dogged by strikes.
He has already had to scale back some of Labour’s more ambitious plans, such as its flagship green spending pledges, while he has promised not to raise taxes for “working people”.
Much of the heavy damage to the Conservative support was inflicted by the right-wing populist Reform UK party, headed by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who had campaigned strongly on curbing immigration.
Starmer has promised to scrap the Conservative’s controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but will be under pressure himself to find a solution to stopping tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel on small boats.
Within the Conservative Party, the recriminations and debate over its future direction immediately began, with some saying its failure stemmed from abandoning the centre ground while others argued Reform had won over voters who felt the party had deserted its roots.
Reform has so far captured four seats, with Farage himself finally being elected to Parliament at his eighth attempt, and won more votes than the Conservatives across swathes of the country.
“There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” a triumphant Farage said. “Believe me, folks, this is just the first step of something that is going to stun all of you.”
The rise in support for a populist alternative echoed recent similar results in Europe, where the far right has been surging.
The election victory represents an incredible turnaround for Starmer and Labour, which critics and supporters said was facing an existential crisis just three years ago when it appeared to have lost its way after its 2019 drubbing.
But a series of Conservative scandals – most notably revelations of parties in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns – undermined then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and its commanding poll leads evaporated.
