Moment Rishi Sunak steps down as prime minister after historic general election defeat

Rishi Sunak told the UK 'I'm sorry' in his final speech after Labour won a landslide in the general election.Source: Reuters

Transcript

00:00Good morning. I will shortly be seeing His Majesty the King to offer my resignation as

00:11Prime Minister. To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry. I have

00:19given this job my all. But you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United

00:25Kingdom must change, and yours is the only judgment that matters. I have heard your anger,

00:33your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss. To all the Conservative candidates

00:40and campaigners who worked tirelessly but without success, I am sorry that we could

00:46not deliver what your efforts deserved. It pains me to think how many good colleagues

00:52who contributed so much to their communities and our country will now no longer sit in the

00:57House of Commons. I thank them for their hard work and their service. Following this result,

01:05I will step down as party leader, not immediately, but once the formal arrangements for selecting my

01:11successor are in place. It is important that after 14 years in government, the Conservative

01:17party rebuilds, but also that it takes up its crucial role in opposition, professionally and

01:23effectively. When I first stood here as your Prime Minister, I told you the most important task I had

01:31was to return stability to our economy. Inflation is back to target, mortgage rates are falling,

01:38and growth has returned. We have enhanced our standing in the world, rebuilding relations

01:44with allies, leading global efforts to support Ukraine, and becoming the home of a new generation

01:49of transformative technologies. Our United Kingdom is stronger too, with the Windsor Framework,

01:56devolution restored in Northern Ireland, and our union strengthened. I am proud of those

02:02achievements. I believe this country is safer, stronger, and more secure than it was 20 months

02:09ago. And it is more prosperous, fairer, and resilient than it was in 2010. Whilst he has

02:17been my political opponent, Zakir Starmer will shortly become our Prime Minister. In this job,

02:23his successors will be all our successors, and I wish him and his family well. Whatever

02:30our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man who I respect.

02:36He and his family deserve the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition

02:42to their new lives behind this door, and as he grapples with this most demanding of jobs

02:48in an increasingly unstable world. I'd like to thank my colleagues, my Cabinet, the Civil Service,

02:56especially here in Downing Street, the team at Chequers, my staff, CCHQ, but most of all,

03:03I'd like to express my gratitude to my wife, Akshita, and our beautiful daughters. I can

03:09never thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made so that I might serve our country.

03:16One of the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations

03:23after my grandparents came here with little, I could become Prime Minister, and that I could

03:29watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps in Downing Street. We must hold true

03:37to that idea of who we are, that vision of kindness, decency and tolerance that has always

03:44been the British way. This is a difficult day, at the end of a number of difficult days,

03:52but I leave this job honoured to have been your Prime Minister. This is the best country in the

03:58world, and it is thanks entirely to you, the British people, the true source of all our achievements,

04:06our strengths and our greatness. Thank you.