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Rishi Sunak Calls for Party Unity in His Final Address as Tory Leader
The 44-year-old British-Indian politician, who stepped down as Tory leader in the wake of the party's bitter defeat in the general election last month, was upbeat while delivering an address to the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Sunday night.
Priti Patel and 5 Others Vie to Succeed Rishi Sunak as UK Opposition Leader
Patel, 52, is in the fray along with other Tory Cabinet ex-ministers such as Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Kenrick, and Mel Stride for the first round of votes on Wednesday, when one candidate with the least backing of their party MPs will be knocked out of the race.
Landmark Increase: 26 Indian-origin MPs Poised to Enter UK Parliament
Among the notable victories, Priti Patel, a Conservative MP of Gujarati heritage, retained her seat in Witham, Essex, where she has been a steadfast representative since 2010. Gagan Mohindra, hailing from a Punjabi Hindu background, secured his seat in Southwest Hertfordshire, adding to the Conservative tally since his initial election as a Parish Councillor in 2004. Labour's Seema Malhotra, leader in Feltham and Heston, continues her tenure since 2011, having held various shadow ministerial roles including Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education.
Apology from Suella Braverman: Reflecting on Conservative Party's Sense of Entitlement
Despite Rishi Sunak, the UK's first Prime Minister of British Indian descent, comfortably retaining his Richmond and Northallerton seat in northern England with 23,059 votes, his party failed to reverse its fortunes nationally after a lengthy 14-year tenure in government.
Keir Starmer's Vision: Forging a Fresh Alliance with India as UK's New PM-elect
Under his leadership, Labour managed a landslide win in the UK general election. At 61, Starmer will become the next premier, making a hopeful declaration that "change starts today" in a victory rally. He is credited with making a remarkable revival for Labour after a brutal defeat last December. One of the key areas he has focused on is to repair those relations with British Indians, which had gone sour in the last four and half years of Jeremy Corbyn leadership over his supposed anti-India stance on Kashmir.
Sunak Takes Responsibility as Labour Triumphs, Ending 14-Year Conservative Reign
“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides,” Sunak said, who created history almost two years ago when he became the first descendant of subjects of the British Raj to assume power in Britain.
UK Polls Begin: Rishi Sunak's Future as PM in the Balance
Sunak, 44, is far behind in this voter discontent after 14 years of Conservative rule following Labour, led by 61-year-old Keir Starmer, in a six-week-long election campaign chock-full of contrasting messages from its leaders: Sunak was warning off a possible "supermajority" for Labour—meaning higher taxes—while Starmer was saying only low turnout could produce it.
Prevent Labour's 'supermajority': UK PM Sunak's Urgent Plea
Sunak also came out swinging at his allegedly soft-on-crime leadership rival, a Labour Party candidate, Keir Starmer, whom he accused of being weak on immigration and wanting to raise taxes. "If Starmer becomes Prime Minister," he said, "illegal migrants will be roaming our streets. We must not hand over our borders to the Labour Party."
Labour Party Set for Landslide Victory in Upcoming UK Elections
Hailed as hat-trick victors for 14 years until now, seat wise the conservatives are now expected to gain only 64 seats while the democrats are expected to garner 61 seats. In comparison, during 1997, when labour was helmed by Tony Blair, it had won as many as 418 seats, which could mean that the party's political fortunes were again looking up.
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