“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
has appointed the third prime minister of his reign, after Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, secured a landslide victory in Britain’s general election on July 4.
On Friday morning, Starmer joined the king in his sitting room in Buckingham Palace and officially assumed the position following a ceremonial head bow and handshake. (It’s called “the kissing of the hands” although no kissing actually occurs). The act—a British equivalent of a swearing-in ceremony—sees the king ask the prime minister-elect to form a government in the monarch’s name.
After leaving the palace, Starmer delivered an address to the nation outside of 10 Downing Street before entering the government office to begin his work. “I have just returned from Buckingham Palace, where I accepted an invitation from His Majesty the King to form the next government of this great nation,” Starmer .
He also thanked his predecessor Rishi Sunak, who earlier that morning, had met with the king to resign as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. Sunak also resigned as leader of the Conservative Party following the electoral defeat. “His achievement as the first British-Asian prime minister of our country, the extra effort that that will have required should not be underestimated by anyone. And we pay tribute to that today,” added Starmer.
Starmer is the third prime minister since Charles’ reign began in September 2022, after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The tumultuous time in British politics saw the short tenure of Liz Truss and the resignation of Boris Johnson. Following the queen’s death, Truss resigned as well—amid backlash over economic policies—and was replaced by Sunak after holding the prime minister title for 44 days.
While the royals try to remain politically neutral, the king has a constitutional role which includes participating in the handover from one government to another. After Sunak announced the elections on May 24, the palace said that Charles and Prince William would both change their schedules to avoid overshadowing the election as it unfolded. This week, however, they to the ongoing relief efforts for Hurricane Beryl, which has devastated the southeast Caribbean.
You Might Also Like
This article originally appeared on www.aol.com: www.aol.com https://www.aol.com/king-charles-appoints-sir-keir-160300621.html