UK PM pledged that his government would make the tough decisions needed to turn things around
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said he has spoken to the UK's new Foreign Secretary David Lammy and both sides reaffirmed to "enhance our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership". In a post on X, the external affairs minister also said he looked forward to an "early in-person meeting". British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday named Lammy as his new foreign secretary as the new premier started the process of forming a Labour Party government after a landslide victory in the general election. "Delighted to speak to UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy. We reaffirmed our commitment to enhance our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Look forward to an early in-person meeting," Jaishankar posted on X. On Friday, the external affairs minister in a post on the social media platform congratulated Lammy on his appointment as the Foreign Secretary of the UK. "Congratulations to @DavidLammy on being appointed Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom. Look forward to continui
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday extended commiserations to the UK's Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak on the party's recent electoral defeat, saying victories and setbacks are inevitable part of democracy and "we must take both in our stride". In his letter to Sunak, Gandhi hailed the former British prime minister's dedication to public service and commitment to the British people. "I would like to extend my commiserations on the recent electoral outcome. Victories and setbacks are both an inevitable part of the journey in a democracy and we must take both in our stride," the Congress leader said. "Your dedication to public service and commitment to your people are commendable. I also deeply value the efforts you made to strengthen the ties between India and the UK during your term in office," he said. Gandhi expressed confidence that Sunak would continue to contribute to public life with his experience. "I wish you all the best for your future ..
New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn't get to take a breather. After a draining six-week election campaign, the center-left politician must get straight to work assembling his government, tackling a mountain of domestic problems and putting his stamp on the U.K.'s relations with the rest of the world. It's a daunting list for a new leader who has never served in, much less led, a government. But Starmer, who was officially appointed prime minister Friday, insisted that he is up to the challenge of heading the U.K. in a world that is a more volatile place than it has been for many years. Appoint a government Like someone moving into a new home with their IKEA furniture, Starmer's first task was to assemble a Cabinet. Starmer began putting together his government soon after he walked through the door of 10 Downing St. on Friday afternoon following his landslide election victory. He has a plethora of lawmakers to choose from - his Labour Party won more than 400 seats in ...
Great Britain's Labour Party has defeated the Conservatives in a historic parliamentary election for control of the nation's government. With most votes counted, here's a breakdown of the numbers: 412 SEATS Labour has won 412 seats a 63 per cent majority of the 650 seats in the lower house of Parliament. One seat remains undeclared. Meanwhile, the Conservatives have 121 seats, the smallest number in the party's two-century history, and down from 365 seats in 2019. Smaller parties picked up millions of votes, including the centrist Liberal Democrats, who captured 71 seats up by 60 from the last election. And one of the biggest losers was the Scottish National Party, which held most of Scotland's 57 seats before the election but looked set to lose all but a handful, mostly to Labour. Each seat represents a geographic area of the U.K. The leader of the party with enough seats to command a majority either alone or in coalition becomes prime minister and leads the government. 14
The Conservatives went from having just two minority MPs in 2005 to 22 in 2019 as well as Britain's first Asian prime minister, who lit Diwali candles outside Downing Street with his family
Keir Starmer promised a government of service that will urgently get down to delivering the change voted for by the British public as he took charge as Britain's 58th Prime Minister, the seventh for the Labour Party, here on Friday. Earlier, the 61-year-old Labour leader who won a landslide majority in Thursday's general election was driven to Buckingham Palace for his customary audience with King Charles III to be formally asked to form a government in the name of the British monarch. In total, Labour had 412 seats and the Conservatives 121. Starmer and his wife, Victoria, then hugged and greeted several of their supporters who had patiently lined up in Downing Street awaiting the newly-elected Prime Minister's convoy. Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics for public service, said Starmer in his inaugural address as leader of a new Labour Party-led government, adding that the work ahead is urgent and we begin it today. When the
Former British prime minister Liz Truss and several Cabinet colleagues of outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party on Friday lost their seats as the Opposition Labour Party was swept to power. Truss, whose turbulent 45-day period in power has been blamed by many Conservatives for Thursday's historic defeat, lost her South West Norfolk constituency to Labour candidate, Terry Jermy, by 630 votes, having previously held a huge 24,180 majority, the BBC reported. The result in South West Norfolk is likely to become an emblem of what looks set to be the Tories' worst-ever election result, with the exit poll predicting they will win just 131 seats nationwide. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory - but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. Labour leader Keir Starmer will officially become prime minister later in the day, leadin
Britain's opposition Labour Party has won a 326-seat majority in the parliamentary election, set to put an end to the 14-year-long rule of the Conservative Party
He has now led the Labour party to victory, on track for the biggest majority in Parliament since at least Tony Blair's New Labour landslide in 1997
UK elections: As many as 46.5 million Britons are eligible to vote in today's election to choose the members of the Parliament across 650 constituencies
The future of Rishi Sunak as Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party hangs in the balance as polling booths opened across the UK on Thursday, with millions expected to turn out to cast their votes in the general election. Sunak, 44, is up against voter angst towards the incumbent Tories after 14 years in power and has had to contend with trailing far behind 61-year-old Keir Starmer led Labour Party throughout the six-week campaign. Both leaders wrapped up their poll pitches with contrasting messages Sunak urging voters to not hand tax-raising Labour a supermajority and Starmer playing down the prospect of a landslide win for fear of a low turnout impacting the final outcome. Candidates are being fielded for 650 constituencies across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with 326 required for a majority in the first past the post system. Besides the two main parties, voters will be choosing from a list of candidates representing the Liberal Democrats,
With a relatively modest 1.3 percentage point of GDP primary budget deficit likely this year, the UK isn't as far away from a debt-stabilizing balance as G7 peers the US, France and Italy are at least
On July 4, voters across the United Kingdom will elect all 650 members of the House of Commons, with each member representing a local constituency
A lot of politicians have promised change to voters in Hartlepool, a wind-whipped port town in northeast England. For decades, Labour Party representatives said they would fight for working people, even as well-paid industrial jobs disappeared. Later, Conservatives under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to bring new money and opportunities on the back of Brexit. But as British voters prepare to elect a new government Thursday, Hartlepool's many problems persist. It has higher unemployment, lower pay, shorter life expectancy, more drug deaths and higher crime rates than the country as a whole. Opinion polls put centre-left Labour well ahead of the governing Conservatives nationwide, but many voters remain undecided and even more are jaded. To regain power after 14 years, Labour must win back disillusioned voters in Hartlepool and other northern towns where decades of economic decline have spawned health and social problems, and a deep sense of disillusionment. At the last .
European Union leaders signed off on a trio of top appointments for their shared political institutions on Thursday, reinstalling German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission for another five years. At the side of von der Leyen, who heads the EU's executive branch, would be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia's Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world's largest trading bloc. Mission Accomplished, outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters after chairing a summit of the bloc's leaders, as von der Leyen and Kallas accompanied him at a joint a news conference. Costa took part via video-link. Von der Leyen expressed her gratitude for a shot at a second term of office, saying: I'm very honored and I'm delighted to share this moment. Kallas, who as the EU's top diplomat will lead the bloc's foreign and security policy with Russia's war on Ukraine in its third year, noted that there is
Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, who has been fighting against his extradition to the US on espionage charges for over a decade, has been freed from prison and flown out of the UK under a plea deal with the American authorities. The 52-year-old Australian national was lodged at Belmarsh high-security prison in London since 2019 when he was taken into custody from the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he had sought asylum. It was revealed overnight on Monday that he has been freed. Assange will return to Australia, UK media reports said, citing a letter from the US Justice Department. He was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. In return for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, the activist will be sentenced to time served, 62 months time already spent in a British prison, according to court documents. After a judge formally accepts this plea, Assange will be free to return to Australia, w
Sterling rose modestly against the US dollar after the data
The leaders are to discuss who should be the next presidents of the European Commission and European Council, and the foreign policy chief, but their minds seem already made up
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