UK Elections 2024: British Indian leader Rishi Sunak resigned as the Prime Minister as well as the leader of the Conservative Party after a crushing defeat to the Labour Party in Thursday's UK elections. In his farewell speech, Sunak acknowledged the public's anger against the party and thanked his colleagues, friends and family.
Sunak arrived at Buckingham Palace shortly after his farewell speech at 10 Downing Street, according to Sky News. He and his wife Akshata Murty were greeted by Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen, and the King's equerry Commander William Thornton. He left the Palace after tendering his resignation to King Charles III in his final audience with the monarch.
'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 judgement that matters. I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss to all the Conservative candidates and campaigners who work tirelessly but without success," he said in his final speech at Downing Street.
Describing Starmer as a "decent, public-spirited man', Sunak said the Labour leader and his family deserve "the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition to their new lives". He also thanked his colleagues, cabinet and the civil service, before expressing "gratitude" for his wife and daughters, before signing off, Sky News reported.
"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 off its crucial role in opposition professionally and effectively," he further said.
Conservatives' face drubbing in UK elections
Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the UK elections, ending 14 years of turbulent Conservative rule. With only two seats left to be counted, the Labour won a mammoth 412 seats, while the Conservatives could only secure 121 seats. Starmer will now succeed the Conservative leader Rishi Sunak as the next British PM, amid a gigantic responsibility of recovering the flailing economy.
The Liberal Democrats also won 71 seats in the Parliament - the highest in the party's history. The far-right Reform UK won four seats as its leader Nigel Farage finally succeeded in winning a parliamentary seat on his eighth attempt.
Sunak conceded defeat shortly before Labour crossed the majority mark. "The Labour Party has won this general election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory... Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future," he said.
It was a disappointing night for the Tories, as a record number of senior ministers, including a former Prime Minister, defence secretaries and a possible future leader, lost their parliamentary seats in a series of catastrophic defeats in the elections. Most shockingly, former PM Liz Truss, Sunak's predecessor, lost her South West Norfolk seat by a margin of only 600 seats. Defence minister Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt, leader of the lower house of parliament, were among ten cabinet ministers who lost their seats.
What next for Rishi Sunak?
Several lawmakers are expected to compete to replace Sunak, the party sources said, with the right-wing likely to promote two indian-origin former interior ministers known for a tough line on immigration - Priti Patel and Suella Braverman - as well as former trade minister Kemi Badenoch, named minister of the year by the website ConservativeHome in 2023 after she took a robust position on trans issues.
Saying 'sorry' for her Conservative Party's performance over the last 14 years, UK-born Braverman, who is of Indian heritage with a Goan-origin father and Tamil-origin mother after winning the newly-created Fareham and Waterlooville constituency said: "I want to briefly address the results around the country, and there’s only one thing I can say... sorry. I’m sorry,"
Sunak was elected Conservative Party leader on Diwali day in October 2022, when he entered 10 Downing Street as the youngest British Prime Minister in 210 years and the country’s very first non-white leader. He pledged to "place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda".
While he succeeded in his aim to bring inflation back down, the wider sense of anti-incumbency against his deeply divided party has only intensified. Southampton-born Sunak’s parents – retired doctor Yashvir and pharmacist Usha Sunak – are of Indian descent, tracing their migration route from Kenya to the UK in the 1960s. He is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of billionaire Narayana Murthy.
(with inputs from agencies)
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