LONDON, July 5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Keir Starmer on Friday swept into Downing
Street for the first time as UK prime minister, promising urgent action to
restore the country's fortunes.

The Labour party leader oversaw a landslide victory in Thursday's general
election, ending 14 years of rule by Rishi Sunak's Conservatives.

"The work of change begins immediately," Starmer told reporters outside
Downing Street after accepting head of state King Charles III's request for
him to form a government.

"But have no doubt, we will rebuild Britain," he added.

Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer and chief state prosecutor,
paid tribute to Sunak, who was appointed Tory leader and prime minister in
October 2022 after Liz Truss's disastrous tenure.

"His achievement as the first British-Asian prime minister of our country,
the extra effort that that will have required, should not be underestimated
by anyone," he said.

"We pay tribute to that today. We also recognise the dedication and hard work
he brought to his leadership," he added.

Flag-waving Labour supporters lined the approach to Downing Street as Starmer
and his wife Victoria arrived from Buckingham Palace, shaking hands with and
kissing activists.

Starmer faces a daunting to-do list, noting that Britons had grown tired of
crumbling public services, higher prices and empty promises from politicians.

His government, he said, would put "country first, party second", promising
to restore "respect for politics", after a succession of scandals under the
Tories that eroded public trust.

But he sought to temper high expectations of an immediate transformation.
"Changing a country is not like flicking a switch," he said.

"The world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while. But have no
doubt that the work of change begins immediately."