Labour takes the helm: Keir Starmer unveils bold agenda

Newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria outside No 10 Downing Street (AAP)

Newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria outside No 10 Downing Street Source: AAP / Gareth Fuller/PA

British voters have reacted to a change in government for the first time after 14 years of the Conservative Party being in power. Incoming Labour prime minister Keir Starmer has announced his cabinet and priorities which include healthcare, the economy and energy.


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"When the gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they received from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation. This lack of trust can only be healed by actions, not words. I know that."

In his first speech as Britain's new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to enact change.

"For too long now, we've turned a blind eye as millions slid into greater insecurity. Nurses, builders, drivers, carers, people doing the right thing, working harder every day, recognised at moments like this before, yet as soon as the camera stop rolling, their lives are ignored. I want to say very clearly to those people. Not this time."

The election has ended 14 years of Conservative government in the United Kingdom, with the Labour party achieving a majority in the 650-seat parliament.

With nearly all seats declared, Labour has won 412 while the Tories have lost 252 seats to be left with 121.

Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak has resigned as leader of the Conservative party and conceded election defeat.

But voters have had mixed reactions to the incoming Labour government.

VOXPOP 1: “Well, he (Starmer) has been doing some great work in these last 14 years, being in the opposite side. And I think he's been great for this immigration and these students, and other general labourers, and I'm thinking he's great, yeah.”

VOXPOP 2: "I’m not really a fan of Labour. I think, their policies are sort of backwards. I voted Reform. I think, yeah they had pretty big changes. So Nigel Farage obviously is big on TikTok and stuff and he's more for the younger generation."

VOXPOP 3:   “This time, first time in my life, I could not make up my mind that who to vote, yeah. There was no point voting small parties because they're not going to come into the power anyway, right? So I decided not to vote this year."

The incoming prime minister has wasted no time announcing his cabinet, with Rachel Reeves to become the UK's first female Chancellor.

Angela Rayner has been made deputy Prime Minister while Yvette Cooper has been named Home Secretary.

As he becomes Britain's next Foreign Secretary, Labour's David Lammy says he's aiming for a foreign policy reset amid many international issues.

"A reset on our relationships with the Global South, and a reset on climate. And I also want to see some gear shifts. Gear shifts on European security and on global security, given all the problems that we're seeing in the Middle East. But also, I want to centre our foreign policy on British growth."

Although cost of living has been in focus during the election campaign, healthcare has also remained a key issue for voters.

Incoming health secretary Wes Streeting has acknowledged that, promising talks on the junior doctor pay dispute will begin next week.

And while the Labour party makes plans for the future of the country, the Conservative party has reflected upon their election loss.

Outgoing Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt says the defeat has been a sobering experience.

"I think we now have to take our time, we have to have a period of reflection and we need to have the honesty, humility and courage to ask ourselves why we have lost the trust of the British people, because that is the first step to winning it back and the scale of our defeat. The scale of our defeat, the scale of Labour's victory, shows that, you know, the British people trusted them more than us (Conservatives). And we've got to be honest with ourselves about that.”

 


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