EU Commission head congratulates new UK premier on election victory

By Merve Berker

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his party's election victory in a telephone call, the Commission said Friday.

“The President (von der Leyen) congratulated the Prime Minister (Starmer) on his (Thursday) election victory,” according to a statement that said Starmer “in turn congratulated the President on her nomination as President of the European Commission,” referring to her selection for another term after last month’s European Parliament elections.

Von der Leyen stressed “the challenges facing Europe and the need for greater security and economic cooperation given the fundamentally changed geopolitical context following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as shared global challenges including addressing climate change.”

She affirmed confidence in the enduring commitment of the EU and Britain to support Ukraine for the duration needed, according to the statement.

Von der Leyen highlighted the significance of the special UK-EU relationship in addressing the challenges and anticipated discussions on advancing cooperation and resetting ties, it added.

Starmer's Labour Party won the House of Commons by a landslide, capturing 412 of the chamber's 650 seats.

The Conservative Party, which ruled the country for the last 14 years, suffered a major defeat by losing 250 seats, from 471 to 121, with 23.7% of the vote.