Sir Keir Starmer General Election victory speech in full as he says 'change begins now'

Sir Keir Starmer has proclaimed that the UK is once again basking in the "sunlight of hope" following a sweeping Labour victory, positioning him as the next prime minister.

After a night that Rishi Sunak described as "sobering" for the Conservatives, which saw an unprecedented eight Cabinet ministers lose their seats, the Tory leader acknowledged his party's defeat. Addressing a crowd of elated supporters at a central London rally, Sir Keir declared that the nation could now "get its future back".

He expressed his triumph to the jubilant activists, stating: "we did it", and emphasised: "Change begins now." Sir Keir remarked: "We did it. You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived change begins now."

READ MORE: Kirklees General Election LIVE as polls close, results are counted and MPS declared

"It feels good, I have to be honest. Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party, this is what it is for a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people."

"And across our country, people will be waking up to the news, relief that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation."

"And now we can look forward, walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back."

The Labour leader delivered these remarks at the Tate Modern art gallery, shortly before Rishi Sunak's public admission of defeat.

In his acceptance speech after being re-elected in Richmond and Northallerton, Mr Sunak stated: "The Labour Party has won this General Election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory."

Mr Sunak further added: ""The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn... and I take responsibility for the loss. "".

On this dramatic night:

• Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and veterans minister Johnny Mercer were defeated by Labour.

• Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Science Secretary Michelle Donelan and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer were beaten by Liberal Democrats.

• Chief whip Simon Hart was defeated by Plaid Cymru.

• Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis and former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg lost to Labour.

• However, party chairman Richard Holden narrowly won by just 20 votes in Basildon and Billericay.

• Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn managed to hold on to his seat as an independent.

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage secured a Commons seat at his eighth attempt and promised his party would "stun all of you".

• Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer triumphed over shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central.

• Labour's shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth, who played a prominent role in the party's media campaign, lost his seat to an independent.

Labour has surpassed the 326 Commons seats needed for victory and is expected to win by a landslide.

The outcome is set to ignite a new bout of internal conflict within the Conservative party as MPs jostle to succeed Mr Sunak, who is anticipated to step down following the loss.

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Mr Shapps was the first Cabinet member to confirm his departure, criticising the Tory "soap opera" for alienating voters.

"On door after door, voters have been dismayed by our inability to iron out our differences in private and do that and then be united in public," he remarked.

"Instead we have tried the patience of traditional Conservative voters with a propensity to create an endless political soap opera out of internal rivalries and divisions which have become increasingly indulgent and entrenched."

He expressed concern that the Tory party might "go off on some tangent, condemning ourselves to years of lacklustre opposition".

Ms Mordaunt, who would likely have been in the running for leadership had she remained, commented that her party had suffered a "battering because it failed to honour the trust that people had placed in it".

She also cautioned against veering too far to the right: "Our renewal as a party and a country will not be achieved by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves but being guided by the people of our country. And if we want again to be the natural party of government, then our values must be the people's.Former home secretary Suella Braverman, now seen as a frontrunner to take over from Mr Sunak, acknowledged that the party had disappointed the British public."

You, the great British people, voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises," she said."

I will do everything in my power to rebuild trust. ""We need to listen to you, you have spoken to us very clearly.

"Reform won four seats, with Mr Farage joined by former Tory Lee Anderson, party chairman Richard Tice and former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe in being elected to Parliament.After clinching victory in Clacton, Mr Farage declared there was now a "massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it".But he also noted that the Tories weren't his only target, asserting, "we're coming for Labour, be in no doubt about that"."

This is just the first step of something that is going to stun all of you," he added.In Wales, the Conservative Party found itself completely ousted, while Labour made significant gains in Scotland.Speaking to PA news agency, First Minister John Swinney acknowledged: "We've got to face up to the realities of the situation that we are in and we've got to build the trust and the confidence of the public in Scotland. ".