Country first, party second' says UK's next PM Starmer after Labour election win

Keir Starmer took office Friday as Britain's new prime minister, after his Labour party swept to a landslide general election victory, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. At a triumphant party rally in central London, Starmer told cheering activists that "change begins here" and promised a "decade of national renewal", putting "country first, party second".

Keir Starmer, Labour Leader said "Country first, party second isn't a slogan. It's the guiding principle, everything we have done and must keep on doing. On the economy, on national security on protecting our borders. The British people had to look us in the eye and see that we can serve their interest, and that work doesn't stop now. It never stops. The changes we've made are permanent, irreversible, and we must keep going. We ran as a changed Labour Party, and we will govern as a changed Labour Party." 

But he cautioned that change would not come overnight.