UK election: Rishi Sunak resigns as PM and Conservative Party Leader following Labour landslide victory

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Rishi Sunak has resigned as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Conservative Party Leader following Labour's landslide victory at the General Election on July 4, 2024. CREDIT: YOUTUBE / 10 DOWNING STREET

Transcript

00:00Good morning. I will shortly be seeing His Majesty the King to offer my resignation as

00:07Prime Minister. To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry. I have

00:15given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United

00:21Kingdom must change, and yours is the only judgment that matters. I have heard your anger,

00:29your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss. To all the Conservative candidates

00:36and campaigners who worked tirelessly but without success, I am sorry that we could

00:42not deliver what your efforts deserved. It pains me to think how many good colleagues

00:48who contributed so much to their communities and our country will now no longer sit in

00:54the House of Commons. I thank them for their hard work and their service. Following this

01:01result, I will step down as party leader, not immediately, but once the formal arrangements

01:07for selecting my successor are in place. It is important that after 14 years in government,

01:13the Conservative Party rebuilds, but also that it takes up its crucial role in opposition

01:18professionally and effectively. When I first stood here as your Prime Minister, I told

01:25you the most important task I had was to return stability to our economy. Inflation is back

01:32to target, mortgage rates are falling, and growth has returned. We have enhanced our

01:38standing in the world, rebuilding relations with allies, leading global efforts to support

01:42Ukraine, and becoming the home of a new generation of transformative technologies. And our United

01:49Kingdom is stronger too, with the Windsor Framework, devolution restored in Northern

01:54Ireland, and our union strengthened. I am proud of those achievements. I believe this

02:00country is safer, stronger, and more secure than it was 20 months ago. And it is more

02:07prosperous, fairer, and resilient than it was in 2010. Whilst he has been my political

02:14opponent, Sir Keir Starmer will shortly become our Prime Minister. In this job, his successes

02:21will be all our successes, and I wish him and his family well. Whatever our disagreements

02:27in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man who I respect. He and his family deserve

02:34the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition to their new lives

02:40behind this door, and as he grapples with this most demanding of jobs in an increasingly

02:46unstable world. I'd like to thank my colleagues, my Cabinet, the Civil Service, especially

02:53here in Downing Street, the team at Chequers, my staff, CCHQ, but most of all, I'd like

03:00to express my gratitude to my wife, Akshita, and our beautiful daughters. I can never thank

03:06them enough for the sacrifices they have made so that I might serve our country. One of

03:13the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations

03:20after my grandparents came here with little, I could become Prime Minister, and that I

03:25could watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps in Downing Street.

03:32We must hold true to that idea of who we are, that vision of kindness, decency, and tolerance

03:39that has always been the British way. This is a difficult day, at the end of a number

03:47of difficult days, but I leave this job honoured to have been your Prime Minister. This is

03:53the best country in the world, and it is thanks entirely to you, the British people, the true

04:00source of all our achievements, our strengths, and our greatness. Thank you.

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