New UK PM Keir Starmer assembles cabinet for first meeting: ‘now we get to work’

Among a raft of problems they face are boosting a sluggish economy, fixing a broken healthcare system, and restoring trust in government

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Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer (middle) hosts his first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street. Among a raft of problems they face are boosting a sluggish economy, fixing a broken healthcare system, and restoring trust in government. Photo: AP

Published: 7:51pm, 6 Jul 2024

Prime Minister Keir Starmer held his first cabinet meeting Saturday as his new government takes on the massive challenge of fixing a heap of domestic woes and winning over a public weary from years of austerity, political chaos and a battered economy.

Starmer welcomed the new ministers around the table at 10 Downing Street, saying it had been the honour of his life to be asked by King Charles III to form a government in a ceremony that officially elevated him to prime minister.

“We have a huge amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work,” he said.

Starmer’s Labour Party delivered the biggest blow to the Conservatives in their two-century history on Friday in a landslide victory on a platform of change.

Britain’s King Charles III (right) shakes hands with Keir Starmer where he invited the Labour Party leader to become prime minister and to form a new government. Photo: AP

Among a raft of problems they face are boosting a sluggish economy, fixing a broken healthcare system, and restoring trust in government.

“Just because Labour won a big landslide doesn’t mean all the problems that the Conservative government has faced has gone away,” said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.