UK Politics

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRishi Sunak has said “I am sorry” to the nation as he began his final speech as Prime Minister.The weather held up prior to his arrival at Downing Street.A very light drizzle of rain fell in the street after much heavier rain had greeted members of the media earlier in the morning.Mr Sunak previously got soaked as he announced the General Election standing outside No 10 in May.After stepping out onto a drizzly Downing Street, he said: “I will shortly be seeing His Majesty the King to offer my resignation as Prime Minister.“To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry.“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.”He added: “Following this result I will step down as party leader – not immediately, but once the formal arrangements for selecting my successor are in place.“It is important that after 14 years in government the Conservative Party rebuilds, but also that it takes up its crucial role in opposition professionally and effectively.”Sunak apologised to Conservative candidates and campaigners, saying: “I’m sorry that we could not deliver what your efforts deserved.“It pains me to think how many good colleagues who contributed so much to their communities and our country will now no longer sit in the House of Commons.“I thank them for their hard work and their service.”He gave his thanks to his family for the “sacrifices they have made” as he served as Prime Minister.Delivering his final statement as Prime Minister on Downing Street, he said: “I’d like to thank my colleagues, my Cabinet, the Civil Service, especially here in Downing Street. The team at Chequers, my staff, CCHQ.“But, most of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to my wife Akshata and our beautiful daughters.“I can never thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made so that I might serve our country.”He praised Sir Keir Starmer as a “decent, public-spirited man who I respect” as he conceded defeat outside Number 10.The Prime Minister said “whatever our disagreements,” he wished Sir Keir and his family well as they make “the huge transition to their new lives behind this door”.Mr Sunak said: “Whilst he has been my political opponent, Sir Keir Starmer will shortly become our prime minister.“In this job, his successes will be all our successes, and I wish him and his family well.“Whatever our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man who I respect.“He and his family deserve the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition to their new lives behind this door.”Rishi Sunak said he was “proud” of his achievements and believes the UK is “more prosperous, fairer and resilient than it was in 2010”.The Prime Minister cited the negotiation of the Windsor Framework and efforts to support Ukraine during his premiership.“I’m proud of those achievements. I believe this country is safer, stronger and more secure than it was 20 months ago,” he said.“It is more prosperous, fairer and resilient than it was in 2010.”Rishi Sunak concluded his farewell speech by acknowledging the “difficult days” of the election campaign and pointing to the British values of “kindness, decency and tolerance”.Ending his last statement as Prime Minister, he said: “One of the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations after my grandparents came here with little, I could become Prime Minister. And that I could watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps in Downing Street.“We must hold true to that idea of who we are. That vision of kindness, decency and tolerance that has always been the British way.“This is a difficult day at the end of a number of difficult days. But I leave this job honoured to have been your Prime Minister.“This is the best country in the world. And it is thanks entirely to you, the British people, the true source of all our achievements, our strengths and our greatness.“Thank you.”After his speech, Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, who was carrying an umbrella, got into a dark blue Audi and were driven away from Downing Street.Mr Sunak is now expected to go to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the King where he will officially end his premiership. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe historic landslide for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party may be the headline of this general election but the results also highlight a dramatic shift in the UK’s wider political landscape. While 2019’s general election was largely a story of two parties, Thursday’s national ballot saw historic gains for the Lib Dems, Greens and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, with victories by pro-Gaza Independent candidates – among them ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – dealing blows to some of Westminster’s most prominent MPs.Meanwhile, the SNP’s longstanding hegemony in Scotland collapsed, and with it any remaining prospect of independence in the near future, as Scottish Labour saw its fortunes finally turn after a lengthy period in the political wilderness. That red surge north of the border helped in part to prop up Labour’s falling vote share elsewhere, as anger over Sir Keir’s stance on the war in Gaza, dissatisfaction over immigration and anti-Tory tactical voting saw a total of four parties pick up double-digit shares of the overall vote.Here The Independent takes a look at how each of the smaller parties has fared:Following a successful, if often bombastic campaign, Sir Ed Davey’s party picked up more than 70 seats to return as the third-largest party in Westminster. It is higher than any number in the party’s modern history, surpassing the 62 seats secured in 2005. Casting back further to its roots as the Liberal party, Sir Ed celebrated Thursday night’s exit poll, saying his party was on course for its best results in a century.Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey danced to Sweet Caroline at the London Art Bar, after securing a record number of seats More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe Conservatives face a leadership contest after a disastrous election result which saw Labour win by a landslide. But the party has lost a string of senior names who had been expected to stand – including former cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt and Grant Shapps. Here we look at some of the remaining runners and riders: Kemi Badenoch The combative former business secretary, who has been involved in a number of high-profile clashes, is seen as a strong contender. She had a good run when she competed for the leadership in 2022. A one-time darling of the Conservative right she was seen to have blotted her copy book, however, when she canned a pledged bonfire of EU red tape. She left the door open to the race when she said, “we will talk about leadership things after an election”. Odds: 11/5Rishi Sunak leaves the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London after conceding defeat More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour has made several pledges which will have an impact on households’ finances – but as it takes power it will also face significant challenges with the cost-of-living squeeze continuing to exert its grip.Sir Keir Starmer will be the UK’s new Labour prime minister after a Conservative rout saw former premier Liz Truss and a dozen serving Cabinet members lose their seats.Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he took responsibility for the electoral mauling inflicted on his party as it suffered its worst ever result.At a victory rally in London, Sir Keir said the country can now “get its future back”.He told jubilant activists “We did it”, adding: “Change begins now.”Here is a look at what is on the horizon in the months ahead:The house sales marketThe decisive General Election result could help to boost housing market confidence and encourage would-be movers to put their plans into action.The Bank of England base rate is expected to be cut at some point in the months ahead (Joe Giddens/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLiz Truss has lost her South West Norfolk seat in a humiliating defeat on the worst night for the Conservatives in general election history. The former prime minister squandered a 26,195 majority in the once true blue seat, finishing in second to Labour’s Terry Jermy by around 600 votes. Her defeat was the last domino to fall among the Tory MPs associated with her Popcon movement which she launched last year in a bid to ultimately take over the party.Ms Truss’s humilaition followed agonising defeat for Sir Simon Clarke, Ranil Jayawardena, Brendan Clarke-Smith and Marco Longhi.The only MP at her launch to survive was Lee Anderson who had since jumped to Reform UK.Ms Truss’ demise followed a painful suspense in the building in the run up to the declaration at around 6.50am, with the former prime minister absent from the stage for several minutes while rival candidates lined up on stage. But when Ms Truss eventually appeared on stage, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister suffered the shock upset.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.Mr Jermy won 11,847 votes, with Ms Truss second on 11,217 and Reform UK’s Toby McKenzie on 9,958. On a devastating night for the Conservatives, with a record-breaking 11 cabinet ministers and a handful of other big beasts losing their seats, Ms Truss became the most high profile scalp. Her disastrous 49-day stint in Downing Street saw her become an emblem of 14 years of Tory chaos and mismanagement, leaving her even more vulnerable than colleagues such as Jeremy Hunt and James Cleverly who managed to cling on. Ms Truss did not give a speech after losing her seat. But she told the BBC: “I think the issue we faced as Conservatives is we haven’t delivered sufficiently on the policies people want.“And that means keeping taxes low, but also particularly on reducing immigration. And I think that’s been a crucial issue here in South West Norfolk, that was the number one issue that people raised on the doorstep with me.”Asked whether she accepted some responsibility for that, Ms Truss said: “I agree. I was part of that. That’s absolutely true.“But during our 14 years in power, unfortunately we did not do enough to take on the legacy we’d been left, in particular things like the Human Rights Act that made it very difficult for us to deport illegal immigrants. And that is one of the reasons I think we’ve ended up in the situation we are now.”She said “I’ve got a lot to think about” when asked whether she wanted to stay in Tory politics.Losing the seat meant Mr Sunak is the only Tory prime minister since 2010 whose seat is still Conservative, with David Cameron’s former Witney seat backing the Liberal Democrats, Theresa May’s Maidenhead also flipping to the Lib Dems and Labour gaining Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.Ms Truss left the count without giving a speech after losing her seat More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorNigel Farage has finally enjoyed success in a general election, becoming the MP for Clacton on his eighth time standing for a Westminster seat.Exactly one month after returning as leader of Reform UK, the arch-Brexiteer stormed to victory in the seaside Essex seat.He was elected with 46.07 per cent of the vote, while Reform’s Lee Anderson, Richard Tice and Rupert Lowe also won seats in parliament.The four MPs will form a tiny group in the Commons, but Mr Farage has always had an outsized influence on British politics. And with a foothold now in the corridors of power, The Independent looks at whether Mr Farage’s next steps could see him become prime minister by 2029.Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the 2024 general electionFarage gives a victory speech at Clacton Leisure Centre in Essex (Joe Giddens/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has been handed the keys to Downing Street with a landslide victory for Labour after Nigel Farage’s Reform UK split the Tory vote.In a night of stunning results, there was a bloodbath at the top of the Tory party, with a record number of cabinet ministers losing their seats.By 5am, a record eight top ministers had gone, with Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, defence secretary Grant Shapps, and education secretary Gillian Keegan among the big beasts voted out.One notable surprise survivor was chancellor Jeremy Hunt, whose seat was expected to fall to the Lib Dems.Keir Starmer celebrates victory More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour has won a landslide victory in the general election after six weeks of intense campaigning, with Sir Keir Starmer becoming the UK’s next prime minister. Taking over from defeated Rishi Sunak, the leader promised that a vote for Labour is a vote for change in his manifesto.From tackling NHS waiting lists to scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda deportation policy, here are some big issues on which voters can expect to see action in the first 100 days of a Labour government:Cancel the Rwanda policyLabour has confirmed it will cancel the Conservatives’ controversial Rwanda asylum plan. Designed to deter illegal immigration, the scheme would see asylum seekers, whose applications to stay in the UK are rejected, deported to Rwanda by plane for processing and resettlement.Sir Keir has said he would scrap the policy “straight away”, redirecting funds towards measures which tackle the problem “at the source.”Chief amongst these is setting up the new Border Security Command and a counter-terrorism unit to “smash” people smuggling gangs and tackle the issue of small boat crossingsOne of Rishi Sunak’s key pledges has been the Rwanda asylum policy as he vowed to ‘stop the boats’ More