Keir Starmer has vowed to bring change to Britain as its next prime minister after his Labour Party surged to a landslide victory in a parliamentary election, ending 14 years of often-tumultuous Conservative government.

The centre-left Labour won a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament, with Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives suffering the worst performance in the party’s long history as voters punished them for a cost-of-living crisis, failing public services, and a series of scandals.

“We did it,” Starmer said in a victory speech on Friday.

“Change begins now … We said we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.”

The election result has upended British politics.  

Labour won some 410 seats, an increase of 210, while the Conservatives lost about 250 MPs, including a record number of senior ministers and former prime minister Liz Truss.

The Scottish National Party imploded, losing 38 seats, ending its own decade of dominance in Scotland and leaving its dream of independence for Scotland in tatters, while conversely the Irish nationalists Sinn Fein became Northern Ireland’s largest party for the first time.

Meanwhile, the populist right-wing Reform UK party, headed by Nigel Farage, the colourful Brexit campaigner and friend of Donald Trump, won more than four million votes.

While it secured only four MPs, its impact on the outcome by siphoning vast tracts of Conservative support will make Farage a thorn in the side of the two major parties.

A glum Sunak conceded defeat and said he had called Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.

“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides,” Sunak said. 

“There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative candidates … I am sorry.”

Despite his convincing victory, polls have suggested there is little enthusiasm for Starmer or his party. 

Labour’s triumph looked set to be achieved with fewer votes than in 2017 and 2019 – the latter its worst electoral showing for 84 years.

Starmer also comes to power at a time when the country faces a series of daunting challenges.

Britain’s tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War II, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen and public services are creaking, especially the much-cherished National Health Service.

“I don’t promise you it will be easy,” Starmer said. 

“Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. It’s hard work. Patient, determined, work, and we will have to get moving immediately.”

Starmer has promised to scrap the Conservative’s controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but he will be under pressure to find a way to stop tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel from France on small boats.

Within the Conservatives, the recriminations began immediately, with some saying their failure stemmed from abandoning the centre ground while others argued Reform had taken voters who felt the party had deserted its roots.

“There is a massive gap on the centre right of British politics and my job is to fill it, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” said a triumphant Farage after finally being elected to parliament at his eighth attempt.

Starmer has promised to improve relations with the European Union to resolve issues created by Britain’s split from the bloc, but despite opposing Brexit, he says rejoining the EU is not on the table.

Starmer will also have to work with Donald Trump in the United States if he wins November’s presidential election. 

Trump has already sent congratulations to Farage, via his social media platform Truth Social.

While he has promised to bring change domestically, Starmer has vowed to continue London’s unequivocal support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. 

A series of Conservative scandals – most notably revelations of parties at Downing Street during COVID lockdowns – undermined then-prime minister Boris Johnson and its commanding poll lead evaporated.

Truss’s disastrous six-week premiership, which followed Johnson being forced out at the end of 2022, cemented the decline, and Sunak was unable to make any dent in Labour’s now commanding poll lead.

Sunak stunned Westminster and many in his own party by calling the election earlier than he needed to while trailing badly in the polls, and his campaign then proved a disaster.

– AAP