UK election: Keir Starmer’s Labour eyes landslide win, Rishi Sunak concedes defeat
London (PTI): British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat on Friday as his Conservative Party was on course for one of its worst election defeats and the Keir Starmer-led Labour Party hurtled towards a landslide victory in the historic UK election.
Official results showed the Labour Party has won enough seats to have a majority in the UK Parliament and will form the next government. The Labour Party is estimated to have a majority of around 160 seats in the House of Commons.
The party had won 326 of the 650 seats by 5 am Friday as counting continued.
The country’s first British Indian-origin prime minister comfortably held on to his own Richmond and Northallerton seat in northern England with 23,059 votes but failed to turn things around for his party at a national level after 14 years in government.
A sombre-looking Sunak was joined by his wife Akshata Murty as his future as a member of Parliament was decided and he chose to use his acceptance speech to also admit his party’s defeat in winning another term in government.
"The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory," said Sunak, acknowledging the “sobering verdict” handed to his party.
"Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides and it is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future," he said.
There is much to learn and reflect, he said.
Taking responsibility for the defeat he told voters: "I am sorry".
With some of the most prominent ministers and MPs such as Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt losing the election, the results are being dubbed a “bloodbath” for the Conservatives.
In contrast, Labour's Starmer stands poised to take charge at 10 Downing Street as Britain’s new Prime Minister after he also comfortably won his own seat of Holborn and St. Pancras in London.
"The change begins right here. Because this is your democracy, your community and your future. You have voted. It is now time for us to deliver," said Starmer in his own acceptance speech as he was mobbed by his celebrating supporters.
While the customary election night exit poll forecast 410 seats for the Opposition party, the outlook as the trends and results tally takes shape is pegging it around 405 seats with the Tories down to 154. The Liberal Democrats are also among the big winners of this election, set to bag around 56 members of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party (SNP) which fought on an independence to Scotland ticket are losing seats to Labour.
However, a major trend that will dominate the discourse will be in Nigel Farage finally being elected as an MP at his eighth attempt and leading his anti-immigration Reform UK to three seats in the Commons.
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Conflicting claims emerge over former Ashoka University missing student as parents seek probe
Gurugram/New Delhi: A case involving a former Ashoka University student has drawn attention after her parents alleged she went missing and sought a probe into an alleged network, while court records indicate that the woman had left home voluntarily and sought legal protection to live independently.
According to The Print, the parents, who are both academics, have approached the Haryana State Commission for Women, alleging that their daughter was manipulated and used by university officials. They have requested a probe by the National probe Agency and have named multiple individuals, including academic members, researchers, and students, in their complaints.
However, the university stated that the woman ceased to be a student in May 2023 and that its instructors and staff have no participation in the situation.
According to documentation in the case, the woman, who was 22 at the time, left her Rohtak home on October 24, 2023. In her written communication with police officers and the station house officer in Sonipat, she stated that she had departed on her own accord, alleging years of physical and emotional abuse at home and demanding secrecy regarding her location.
She subsequently recorded a statement before a magistrate under provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. She affirmed her decision to live independently and in later complaints, she alleged continued attempts by her family to contact her and sought police protection.
Court records from the Delhi High Court show that she appeared in person before the court in May 2024 and stated that she wished to choose her own way of life and did not want to interact with her family. The court noted her statement and recorded that she was a major acting of her own volition.
In a subsequent order, the court noted that she had been provided police protection since November 2023 and was residing independently, granting her liberty to approach the court again if required.
The parents, meanwhile, have maintained that their daughter was a meritorious student and alleged that she was traced earlier to premises linked to university staff. They also raised concerns over financial transactions and a name change, which they claim point to a larger network.
At the centre of their allegations is Bittu Kaveri Rajaraman, an associate professor at the university. No response has been issued by the individuals named in the complaint so far.
After the matter was taken up by the women’s commission, chairperson Renu Bhatia said the panel may recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
During the hearings, a lawyer claiming to represent the woman arrived before the commission even though she had not been summoned and the commission has asked for her personal appearance.
