The centre-left Labour Party is expected to win 410 of the country’s 650-seat House of Commons, a surplus of 170 seats over the majority mark.
The Labour Party, Britain’s main Opposition party, will likely score a landslide victory in the country’s general election, exit polls predicted on Thursday. Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s leader, is expected to replace Rishi Sunak as the prime minister of Britain.
The centre-left Labour Party is expected to win 410 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, a surplus of 170 seats over the majority mark. Rishi Sunak’s Tories would only get 131 — a record low. Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party can bag 13 seats.
Who is Keir Starmer?
61-year-old Keir Starmer, poised to be the next prime minister of Britain, was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to law and criminal justice. He was first elected as a member of Parliament from London in 2015. He is a lawyer by profession.
He has two children. His wife, Victoria, is an employee of the National Health Service (NHS).
Sir Keir Starmer is credited for reversing the Labour Party’s fortunes after a dismal performance in the 2019 general election. He has rebuilt the party’s connection with the sizeable Indian diaspora, which felt alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn over a perceived anti-India stance on Kashmir.
Last year, during a speech, he sought a robust relationship with India on the grounds of global security, climate security and economic security.
“What my Labour government will seek with India is a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration. That will seek a free trade agreement (FTA), we share that ambition, but also a new strategic partnership for global security, climate security, economic security,” he had said.
Keir Starmer’s 2024 election manifesto also commits to seeking a “new strategic partnership with India, including a free trade agreement, as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security, education, technology and climate change”.
Earlier this year, he visited the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury, north London, and assured the Hindu community that there was no place for Hinduphobia in Britain.