MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Starmer goes through “kissing of the hands” and forms new UK gov't

Starmer praised his predecessor for being the first Asian person to hold such a high office

Sir Keir Starmer was sworn in Friday as the UK’s new prime minister in lieu of the Conservative Rishi Sunak who turned in his resignation following Thursday's appalling electoral defeat earning Labour at least 412 of the 650 seats in Parliament.

As customary, Starmer visited Buckingham Palace on Friday for a formal meeting with King Charles III, who invited him to form a new government in a ceremony known as the “kissing of the hands.” After that encounter, Starmer went to 10 Downing Street for his first speech as Prime Minister, during which he praised Sunak for becoming the UK’s first British-Asian person to hold such an office.

“Now our country has voted decisively for change and a return of politics to public service,” said Starmer, who also spoke of “weariness in the heart of the nation,” which required action instead of words to all British citizens, regardless of whom they voted for.

He also thanked his supporters ahead of a process of “calm and patient rebuilding,” who also foresaw “boring” times on the radar. “You have given us a clear mandate,” he said, addressing the British nation. “We will use it to deliver change, restore service and respect to politics, and end the era of noisy performance.”

“Changing a country is not like flicking a switch,” insisted Starmer as he warned that fixing the UK’s problems “will take a while.”

The country's fourth prime minister in less than two years, Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, also pointed out that “now we can look forward and walk into the morning.”

“The sunlight of hope, pale at first, but getting stronger through the day, shining once again on a country with the opportunity, after 14 years, to get its future back,” he said in reference to the last time Britain had a Labour head of government.

In these 14 years, the Conservatives failed to achieve any notable economic growth. In addition, immigration became more rampant even after Brexit. Indeed, Tony Blair's was the largest majority of any Labour government ever. Unlike now, Britain's economy 27 years ago was booming with its deregulated financial markets being the envy of Europe.

The newly-elected UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has made 10 cabinet appointments: Angela Rayner – Deputy Prime Minister; Rachel Reeves – Chancellor; David Lammy – Foreign Secretary; Yvette Cooper – Home Secretary; John Healey – Defence Secretary; Pat McFadden– Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; Ed Miliband – Energy Secretary; Bridget Phillipson – Education Secretary; Wes Streeting – Health Secretary; and Shabana Mahmood – Justice Secretary.