https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn09xn9je7lt
The Labor Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, won a majority of votes in the House of Commons following the results of early parliamentary elections. This marks the end of 14 years of Conservative rule in the UK. Counting has not yet been completed in all constituencies, but Labor has already officially won 381 of them, giving it a comfortable majority in the 650-seat chamber. An exit poll forecast released immediately after voting ended on Thursday evening predicted Labor would end up with 410 seats.
Keir Starmer and shadow finance minister Rachel Reeves, who is tipped for the second-highest post in the future government, won their constituencies with confidence. On Friday, Sunak and then Starmer will travel to Buckingham Palace for an audience with King Charles III.
Counting has already been completed in 563 districts. Labor won 381 of them (including 186, where either the Conservatives or the Scottish National Party won the last election), the Liberal Democrats won 54 (taking 47 of them from other parties, mainly the Conservatives), the Conservative Party won in 92 districts, mostly the same ones where she won in 2019.
Candidates from the right-wing populist Reform party won four more, including its leader Nigel Farage. It is interesting that Grant Shapps, who holds the post of Minister of Defense in the outgoing government, failed even in his own constituency.
Support for the outgoing Conservatives has particularly suffered in places where more than a third of households have a mortgage. This can be interpreted as a consequence of Liz Truss's fiscal policy, which led to an increase in interest rates, which have not yet decreased.
In their 14 years in power, the Tories have seen the first decline in living standards since the 1950s. The austerity of government spending after the financial crisis of 2008-09, the Covid pandemic, and, most importantly, Brexit, which sharply reduced trade and investment, are also to blame.
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