The British Prime Minister, David Cameron has been re-elected and vowed to make Great Britain ‘greater still’ as he set out on how he will use his shock outright Tory majority to ensure the ‘good life is in reach for everyone who is willing to work and do the right thing’.
The Prime Minister made a statement outside Number 10 to pay tribute to both Labour’s Ed Miliband and his former Lib Dem deputy Nick Clegg who have both resigned after suffering heavy losses in one of the most unpredictable election results for a generation.
The final results after the polls showed Tories leading with 331 (up 25), Labour 232 (down 24), SNP 56 (up 50), Lib Dems 8 (down 48), Ukip 1 (down 1)
The three political leaders then emerged, barely an hour later, to stand side by side at the Cenotaph to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE Day.
Cameron had earlier walked out the doors of Number 10 to declare he was forming a majority Tory government after routing Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the biggest electoral shock in living memory.
The PM returned to Downing Street with his wife, Samantha, after making the short trip to Buckingham Palace for a meeting with the Queen to confirm what he described as the ‘sweetest victory of all’.
Big political names including Ed Balls, Vince Cable, Ed Davey, Doulgas Alexander, David Laws, Jim Murphy and Esther McVey all lost their seats as the political map of Britain was dramatically redrawn with vast swathes of Tory blue and SNP yellow.
In an incredible night of political drama, Labour suffered a bloodbath in Scotland and failed to make any gains in England. Mr. Miliband said he accepted ‘absolute and total responsibility’ for the electoral disaster, and resigned with immediate effect. His deputy Harriet Harman also announced she will stand aside.
Mr. Clegg, who was left as just one of eight MPs to survive the near-destruction of the Lib Dems, also resigned – admitting he had led the party to its worst ever defeat.
It came after Ukip’s Nigel Farage threw in the towel within minutes of receiving confirmation that he had lost his bid to enter Parliament. But in a surprise announcement Mr Farage suggested he could return as party leader in the Autumn.
Cameron said he would use the 331 MPs he will have in the Commons to implement the Tory manifesto in full, promising more apprenticeships, income tax cuts and an in-out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
But he also signaled that he would sign off a massive devolution of powers to Scotland, after Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP stunned everyone to win 56 of 59 seats in Scotland.
With the world’s media gathered in Downing Street, a visibly relieved Mr Cameron said he wanted to finish the job of fixing Britain’s economy.
The Prime Minister said: ‘When I stood here five years ago – our country was in the grip of an economic crisis. Five years on Britain is so much stronger.
‘But the real opportunities lie ahead. Everything I’ve seen over the last five years and indeed over this election campaign has proved once again that this is a country with unrivalled skills and creativeness. This is a country with such good humour and such great compassion.
‘I’m convinced that if we can draw on all of this, then we can take these islands with our proud history and build an even prouder future – together we can make Great Britain greater still.’ [myad]
