Labour took 412 seats. The Conservatives kept 121, the fewest they have ever held. With 326 needed for a majority in a 650-seat House of Commons, the arithmetic was never close, and Keir Starmer walked into 10 Downing Street as prime minister after 14 years of Conservative government.
“We did it,” Starmer told supporters after the result. “You voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now.” Outside Downing Street he put it more bluntly: “The work for change begins immediately.”
Washington’s first read
The mechanics matter for the alliance. A government with a clear mandate does not have to trade foreign policy for votes, so the people on the other end of the phone in Washington know who they are dealing with. That is the first thing a landslide buys.
Joe Biden was expected to ring Starmer to congratulate him, according to sources familiar with his schedule. Al Jazeera reported that the US president stressed support for freedom, democracy and the special UK-US relationship. The catch is that the warm words were the easy part.
Labour’s manifesto had already called the United States an “indispensable ally.” The party also promised to strengthen NATO commitments and keep backing Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg went further on the day, calling Starmer “a strong supporter of NATO, of the transatlantic alliance.”
A defeat with few survivors
Rishi Sunak conceded early. “The Labour Party has won this election,” he said, adding: “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.” A record 12 cabinet ministers lost their seats, former prime minister Liz Truss among them.
That outcome removes one variable. No coalition talks, no minority government leaning on smaller parties for every defence vote. Whatever London decides on Ukraine, NATO spending or its dealings with the White House, a single party now owns the decision.
Other capitals moved just as fast. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Sunak for his government’s consistent backing and said the two countries would remain dependable allies. Emmanuel Macron spoke of cooperation on European security. Australia’s Anthony Albanese pointed to AUKUS. Canada’s Justin Trudeau wrote: “Lots of work ahead to build a more progressive, fair future for people on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Domestic promises will compete for the new government’s attention. Labour pledged 40,000 additional weekly appointments to cut NHS hospital waiting times, no rise in income tax or VAT, a Border Security Command to go after human smuggling, and an end to the Rwanda asylum plan.
Sources
- World leaders congratulate Starmer after stunning UK general election win
- UK Election Results: Labour's Landslide Victory (NBC News live blog)
