Starmer: honour, privilege to be UK Labour leader

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party has elected lawyer and lawmaker Keir Starmer as its new leader, after a contest thrown into turmoil by the coronavirus outbreak.

A special conference to announce the winner was scrapped, and the news came on Saturday in a press release accompanied by a pre-recorded acceptance speech.

“It is the honour and the privilege of my life to be elected as leader of the Labour Party. It comes at a moment like none other in our lifetime," Starmer said.

Angela Rayner was chosen as deputy leader in a vote of Labour’s half a million members.

Starmer, 57, who comes from the party’s centre-left wing, replaces Jeremy Corbyn, who has led Labour since 2015.