Headlines for July 08, 2024

In the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer has become Britain’s new prime minister after his Labour Party trounced the Conservatives in a general election on Thursday. It’s the first time Labour has been in power in 14 years. But the election lacked much of the energy and hope for change that marked France’s vote, with the lowest turnout in more than two decades. Starmer, a centrist politician, vowed to lead a government of “stability and moderation.” He made his first official address as leader on Friday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “For too long now we’ve turned a blind eye as millions slid into greater insecurity — nurses, builders, drivers, carers, people doing the right thing, working harder every day, recognized at moments like this before, yet as soon as the cameras stop rolling, their lives are ignored. I want to say very clearly to those people: Not this time.”

Among the other notable results in the U.K. election, former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss lost her seat in Parliament. Far-right figurehead Nigel Farage, best known for pushing Brexit, won his election in his eighth attempt to gain a seat. Irish nationalists Sinn Féin became Northern Ireland’s largest party in the British Parliament for the first time. And the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn easily retained his longtime seat after running as an independent in his London district.

In one of his first moves, Starmer declared the U.K. Rwanda deportation plan “dead and buried.” We’ll go to the U.K. for more after headlines.