Britain swings to the center-left in historic U.K. election landslide

Labour Leader Keir Starmer celebrates winning the 2024 general election with a speech at Tate Modern in London on Friday. (Ricky Vigil/Getty Images Europe)

LONDON — An earthquake in British politics.

With far-right politics ascendant across the English Channel in France, the United Kingdom has swung in the opposite direction. Official election results Friday showed a landslide victory for the country’s center-left Labour Party — its first victory in 19 years, since under the leadership of Tony Blair.

Incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed his win as historic, saying early Friday: “Change begins now.”