UK election: PM Rishi Sunak concedes defeat as Labour Party sweeps polls

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat in the United Kingdom’s general election on Friday amid the rival Labour Party securing a landslide victory, BBC reported.

The counting of votes began on Thursday night after polling in the parliamentary election concluded.

As of 10.15 am India time on Friday, the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer had won 377 seats in the House of Commons, according to The Guardian. The Lower House has a total of 650 members and 326 seats are required for a majority.

Sunak’s Conservative Party had won 92 seats, followed by 51 of the Liberal Democrats.

The Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage, one of the key leaders of the Brexit movement, had won four seats. Farage himself was elected to the House of Commons in his eighth attempt, The Guardian reported.

Counting in nearly 100 constituencies was ongoing.

In the last general election in 2019, the Conservatives led by Boris Johnson, the country’s prime minister at the time, won 365 seats. The Labour Party had won 202 seats.

Starmer, who has been the Leader of the Opposition since 2020, is widely expected to become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister. The Labour Party’s win ends a 14-year rule of the Conservatives, often referred to as the Tories.

The election results were in line with recent opinion survey projections...

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