UK Labour Party sweeps to power in historic election win. But impatient voters mean big challenges

Analysis by Sean O’Grady:

Labour lost several seats to Independent candidates with pro-Palestine campaigns, our data correspondent Alicja Hagopian reports.

Key Labour figures had their majorities slashed by Independent voters, including cabinet ministers Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood.

Independent candidates have booted out Labour in four seats, including Blackburn, where new MP Adnan Hussain declared: “This is for Gaza”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he would redouble efforts to get his party into government at Holyrood in 2026 after wiping out almost a decade of SNP dominance of Scotland’s Westminster seats at the general election.

Mr Sarwar’s party tore across the country’s central belt, mirroring the success of the UK-wide party and sweeping the SNP out of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

With all but one of the 57 Scottish seats declared, Labour held 37, the SNP nine and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats each had five.

In the previous UK election in 2019, Labour returned just one MP to the SNP’s 48.

A recount in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat will not restart until 10.30am on Saturday, delaying the final result of the election.

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and discussed co-operation between the UK and EU.

The Prime Minister wished Ms Von der Leyen well in her upcoming parliamentary election and she congratulated him on his election victory, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

“The leaders discussed areas of close co-operation between the UK and the EU, including support for Ukraine, climate change and regional security.

“The Prime Minister and president emphasised the importance of the unique relationship between the UK and EU in addressing these challenges.

“They agreed to stay in close contact and looked forward to meeting in person soon.”

The Rwanda scheme is “dead” after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to end the deportation of migrants to the African country, according to the Telegraph.

The source told the paper: “If Rishi Sunak thought Rwanda would work, he wouldn’t have called an election. It was a con. By calling an election, Sunak was acknowledging that fact.”

It is believed the UK can end the Rwanda scheme by terminating the agreement through a break clause that allows both governments to leave it.

The Telegraph reports the UK Government will not have to make any further payments from the date the break clause is activated.

It comes without a single asylum seeker being deported from the UK.

Described by critics as an “Alice in Wonderland adventure that was both absurd and inhumane”, Sir Keir Starmer’s party vowed to scrap the policy plagued by problems “on day one” if elected.

Sir Keir Starmer triumphantly entered Downing Street on Friday, signalling a new era in politics and promising to fix Britain’s problems “with respect and humility”, writes David Maddox: