 Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife arrive at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, on July 5, 2024 (Photo: Reuters) |
Standing outside his new office and residence at Number 10 Downing Street, Starmer acknowledged the scale of the challenge after his party's landslide victory in the parliamentary election.
He warned that any improvements would take time, and he would need to first rebuild faith in politics.
“I have just returned from Buckingham Palace, where I accepted an invitation from His Majesty the King to form the next government of this great nation. I want to thank the outgoing Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. 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,” Starmer said.
His first appointments to his top team of ministers contained no surprises. Rachel Reeves was named as Britain's first female finance minister, Angela Rayner was made deputy prime minister and David Lammy was appointed foreign minister.