Center-Left Labour Party Wins Big in UK Elections, Unseating Conservative PM Rishi Sunak
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The United Kingdom’s Labour Party won parliamentary elections in a landslide on Thursday and is set to unseat the Conservative Party, which has ruled Britain since 2010.
The Details: Winning a huge majority with 410 seats, the center-left party is led by Sir Keir Starmer, who will replace Rishi Sunak as the UK’s next prime minister. Per Reuters (Center bias) the Conservatives lost 244 seats, leaving them with a historic low of 121. Other notable shifts include the Liberal Democrats picking up 60 seats, the pro-independence Scottish National Party dropping 39 of their 48 seats, and 22 seats going to “other” parties.
For Context: Labour’s massive win, while historic, did not come as a surprise, as polls predicted the party would make major gains. The party’s campaign platform included promises to boost Britain’s economic growth rate by changing the planning system and making the country more attractive to investors, renationalizing the railway system, overhauling employment laws, and setting up a state-owned energy company.
How The Media Covered It: Axios (Lean Left bias) noted that Starmer pulled Labour “back to the center ground after replacing left-winger Jeremy Corbyn as leader in 2020.” The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) noted that Labour won just 700,000 votes (1%) more than Corbyn in 2019, “but managed to pick up more than 200 additional seats.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.K. PM concedes defeat as Labour Party set for landslide election win
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat to the center-left Labour Party early Friday, which was projected to win by a landslide in the country's general election — delivering a huge blow to the ruling Conservative Party after 14 years in power.
The big picture: Incumbents are on a losing streak all over the world — particularly in Europe, where inflation has fueled voter discontent. In Britain, however, the Conservatives' looming defeat is largely of their own making.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, was among several prominent Conservative Party lawmakers to lose their seat...
From the Center
Labour's Keir Starmer to become UK prime minister
Sir Keir Starmer is set to become the UK's first Labour prime minister since 2010 after his party's landslide general election victory.
Labour is returning to power with a huge parliamentary majority of 174, following a collapse in support for the Conservatives.
Sir Keir will be formally appointed by the King at Buckingham Palace later, replacing Tory leader Rishi Sunak, and make his first speech in Downing Street.
Speaking outside No 10, Mr Sunak vowed to remain his party's leader until formal arrangements for selecting his successor are in place....
From the Right
Labour election result most distorted in history
The election result is the most distorted in history after Labour won nearly two thirds of seats with just a third of the popular vote.
With almost all seats counted, Labour has won 410 constituencies – 63.7 per cent of the seats available – with a vote share of just 33.9 per cent.
The 29.9 point gap between the popular vote and seat share makes this the most skewed result ever, far outpacing the previous 22 point gap recorded in 2001 under Tony Blair.
Labour secured just over 700,000 more votes than Mr...
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