Labour's Landslide Victory Ends 14 Years of Conservative Rule in Historic Election

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria wave to the crowd of supporters and media at the steps of 10 Downing Street

Great Britain’s Labour Party has achieved a historic victory in the parliamentary election, defeating the Conservatives and taking control of the nation's government. With most votes counted, Labour has secured 412 seats — a 63% majority — out of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. One seat remains undeclared.

The Conservatives have suffered their worst defeat in two centuries, holding only 121 seats, a significant drop from the 365 seats they won in 2019.

Smaller parties also saw significant gains, with the centrist Liberal Democrats capturing 71 seats, an increase of 60 from the last election. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which previously held most of Scotland’s 57 seats, is set to retain only a handful, primarily losing to Labour.

King Charles III, right, sits during an audience with Labour Party's Keir Starmer where he invited the Labour Party leader to become Prime Minister and to form a new government

Each seat in Parliament represents a specific geographic area of the UK. The leader of the party with a majority of seats, either alone or in coalition, becomes prime minister. Labour’s landslide victory brings them to power for the first time in 14 years.

The Conservative Party had led the government since 2010, facing numerous challenges including Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and soaring inflation. Voters attributed many of the nation's issues, from unreliable train services to the cost-of-living crisis and the influx of migrants, to the Conservative leadership. Labour, ousted in 2010 after a 13-year tenure, suffered a decline in popularity due to the deep recession caused by the 2008 global financial crisis.

Britain's outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks outside 10 Downing Street before heading to offer his resignation to King Charles III

This election marked a new low for Labour and Conservative candidates, who collectively garnered just 60% of the votes cast. For the past century, Britain's two main political parties have dominated elections, but their combined vote share has been declining. In 1951, they netted nearly 97% of the vote together, but this trend has steadily decreased.

Despite the relatively low share of votes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will govern with a massive majority in the House of Commons. In the UK’s electoral system, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins, even without a majority. This system allows a party to win seats with a lower share of the vote, especially when votes are dispersed among multiple parties.

This election saw a record number of candidates, with an average of seven candidates running for each seat and a total of 4,515 people vying for positions in Parliament, over a thousand more than in 2019.