Keir Starmer, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Britain, hailed his Labour party’s triumph in the widely contested UK general election as a beacon of optimism, despite the dismal London weather on that Friday morning.
In the wake of the harsh final outcome of the British general election, room for negotiation or diplomacy ceases to exist once voting is completed. The departing Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, proceeded to King Charles, before making a public address to the staff via the back entrance of Downing Street. His exit through the main entrance was met with a resounding chorus of disapproval from the gathered crowds.
Prominent among the crowd was Steve Bray, a hardcore Remainer known for his relentless harassment of Brexiteers. He earned his reputation over the past few years for his protests outside Downing Street. Bray played Labour’s 1997 theme song ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ while Sunak announced the election results. Forbidden from all streets surrounding Whitehall and the British Parliament, Bray showed up regardless with his boom box, playing ‘So Long Farewell’ from The Sound of Music and the Bay City Rollers’ ‘Bye Bye Baby’, where he replaced the word ‘baby’ with Tories.
Multiple Metropolitan police officers ordered Bray to cease, stating he was inciting a public disturbance, only to be accused of non-democratic behaviour by Bray and his defiant followers. Once officers switched off his boom box, Bray shifted to vocalizing his protest through a megaphone at Downing Street’s gates.
Two hours later, the crowd in Whitehall had grown, hoping for a sighting of Britain’s newfound political saviour, who disappointed them by choosing a more discreet entrance.
Unlike his predecessor, Starmer was fortunate with the weather ceasing its downpours. Tourists enjoying bus tours gained a better spectacle of the events at Downing Street as Starmer greeted selected Labour Party supporters behind Downing Street’s gates.
The crowd followed Starmer’s speech, which called for a period of “national renewal and devotion to public service”, on their smartphones. And yet, individuals like Julia Rockett, a constituency worker for Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, who wore a “Sparkle with Starmer” t-shirt, wouldn’t have traded being present for anything in the world.
“I’ve eagerly anticipated this moment since Tony Blair’s victory in 1997. Witnessing this event as a grown individual is simply spectacular. I was only 20 back in ’97, with politics being the least of my concerns,” she expressed.
“I’ve dedicated myself to campaigning daily for the past month and a half, and whilst it’s left me physically drained, the fulfilment it brings makes it all worth it. The feeling is just extraordinary.”
Essex-based John Stormer expressed his disdain for the Tories, calling them the “most self-absorbed group I’ve ever encountered. I detest them. My entire aim was to ensure their departure.”