Great Britain After election debacle: Rishi Sunak steps down as party leader
Following the defeat of the Conservative Tories in the British general election, Rishi Sunak is drawing the consequences in his party. The former Prime Minister announced in London this morning that he would step down as party leader as soon as the formal arrangements for his successor had been clarified. His Conservatives had previously achieved a historically poor result in the election to the House of Commons.
05.07.2024, 11:59
SDA
The party lost its majority and now only has 120 of 650 seats after almost all votes have been counted. In the last election, it had won 365 seats in the House of Commons. The new Prime Minister will therefore be Labor leader Keir Starmer, whose Social Democratic Labor Party won the election by a large margin and now has at least 412 seats.
Sunak apologized to the voters. He had given his all, but the verdict was clear. "I have heard your anger and disappointment and I take responsibility for this defeat," he said. He wished his successor Keir Starmer success.
Sunak moves out of Downing Street
The Conservatives had been in power in the UK for 14 years. Sunak had taken over the party leadership and thus the office of head of government in October 2022.
He succeeded Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose policies caused turbulence on the financial markets and who had to resign after 49 days in office. Her party colleague Boris Johnson had previously also had to resign following various scandals.
According to political scientist John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, dissatisfaction with Sunak's two predecessors was the main reason for the Tories' resounding defeat.
Sunak was considered out of touch
Sunak, who used to work in the financial sector and is married to the entrepreneur Akshata Murty, has a fortune running into millions. This had also cemented his reputation for being out of touch.
Sunak clearly won his own constituency. Sunak said he was looking forward to spending more time in his constituency in the coming weeks. The Conservative Party will now be the opposition in the House of Commons and faces a battle for direction. It is expected to shift further to the right.
Who will be the new leader of the opposition?
After the heavy loss of seats, the party has been thinned out. Several potential successors have lost their seats. These include Defense Minister Grant Shapps and the previous Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Penny Mordaunt.
Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, on the other hand, who was previously also considered to have a good chance, defended her mandate. She is on the right fringe within the party, as is former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is also considered a promising candidate for the party leadership.
Former Home Secretary James Cleverly and former Secretary of State Tom Tugendhat are seen as more moderate potential candidates. In an interview with Sky News, Cleverly was rather evasive when asked whether he intended to run.
The Tories are under pressure from the right from the right-wing populist Reform UK party. Its leader, Nigel Farage, had alienated voters on the far right with his surprising candidacy. He once played a key role in driving Brexit forward and is considered a supporter of former US President Donald Trump. He also entered parliament and will lead a small group of MPs. His declared aim is to take over the Conservative Party or make it redundant.
