Exit polls show Labour landslide in U.K. election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule

Exit polls in the United Kingdom show a Labour landslide with the center-left party winning a massive majority in Parliament in the first general election in nearly five years. The Conservatives’ loss marks the end of 14 years in power. Labour leader Keir Starmer will be Britain’s next prime minister. News Hour special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from London.

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Amna Nawaz: Exit polls in the United Kingdom show a Labor landslide in today’s election, with the center-left party winning a massive majority in Parliament in the first general election in nearly five years.

This video from Sky TV shows the results of those exit polls. The Conservatives’ loss marks the end of 14 years in power and Rishi Sunak’s prime ministership. Labor leader sir Keir Starmer will be Britain’s next prime minister.

“NewsHour” special correspondent Malcolm Brabant is in London covering the election and joins us now.

So, Malcolm, what more can you tell us about these results. Were they a surprise or to be expected?

Malcolm Brabant: No, people were saying right at the start that the election was called that it was over virtually then, that people were expecting a substantial Labor majority, because the nation really has declared that it’s sick and tired of the Conservatives.

And this has been borne out tonight. These early sort of exit polls are usually extremely accurate. And what they’re saying is that Labor will have 410 seats in the 365-seat Parliament, giving them a majority of 170 seats, and the Conservatives have lost 241 seats, which is one of the worst performances by a Conservative government in recent political history.

Amna Nawaz: So, a landslide victory, it seems like, there. What does that margin of victory mean, both for the Labor Party and how Sir Keir Starmer’s priorities can actually be put into place?

Malcolm Brabant: Well, this is exactly what he wanted to be able to do, to be able to carry out all of his legislative programs.

And he’s been rather vague about some of the things that he’s going to do, but he now has absolutely really no opposition to worry about when it comes to putting through the things that he wants to do. That is basically trying to get growth, stabilizing the economy.

He wants to improve the National Health Service. He also wants to set up border controls to stop all of the — a new sort of border force to stop all the boat people coming across from France. And he also wants to bring in new teachers and things like that.

And the Conservatives have concerns that what he might even do with this supermajority is to introduce voting for 16-year-olds, so that Labor can stay in power for generations. We will have to wait and see if that one comes true. But, certainly, there’s been a lot of scaremongering by the Conservatives about what this is going to do with such a powerful majority for Sir Keir.

Amna Nawaz: Malcolm, what about those Conservatives? After 14 years in power, where does this leave the Conservative Party and Rishi Sunak?

Malcolm Brabant: Well, they’re in total disarray.

This is a dreadful performance on their part. And they have been — they have suffered as a result of there being COVID and also there being a war in Ukraine. But, also, their own irresponsibility in government and incompetence has been one of the things that’s actually brought about their demise.

Rishi Sunak is thought to be a sort of very nice guy, a technocrat, pretty — and pretty competent, but he’s just not been able to get over the kind of history that the people of this country have with the Conservatives. And after 14 years of it, people have just had enough.

Even though they don’t particularly sort of trust everything Keir Starmer says, they just want change. They are fed up with the cost of living being absolutely abominable. And one of the things, for example, that Keir Starmer is going to do which the Conservatives would never do, is to hit the labor — is to hit the oil companies with extra revenue with all the profits they have been making and to pour that into green energy.

And that’s — people are fed up with their bills for gas and their electricity going up, and they just want change.

Amna Nawaz: Malcolm, there’s another political force at play here. That is a man named Nigel Farage many people may know, the leader of the right-wing populist party Reform U.K. Where did he come out in this race?

Malcolm Brabant: Well, he’s done pretty well.

I mean, we don’t know just how many votes he’s managed to get. And he’s only going to get 13 seats, by the looks of things, in Parliament. But he’s basically setting himself up in — for five years’ time. I mean, he’s going to be a rabble-rouser in Parliament. He’s going to be the loudest voice possibly against Keir Starmer.

And what he’s going to be trying to do is to unite the right wing behind him so that, in five years’ time, he will be in a position to challenge Keir Starmer perhaps as prime minister. But that’s going to be his main role.

And he’s going to — I think he will be quite content with what he’s got, because if he wins his seat in Eastern England, he will be in Parliament, and he will be a thorn in Keir Starmer’s side.

Amna Nawaz: All right, that is “News Hour” special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reporting live for us from London tonight.

Malcolm, thank you. Good to see you.