Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty were met with applause as they embraced staff in their emotional final moments inside Downing Street on Friday following the Conservative Party’s defeat in the general election.
The outgoing Prime Minister and his wife found smiles as they shook hands and hugged the dozens of people who have worked with them inside Number 10 over the last 618 days, reaching out to say their final goodbyes before addressing the nation.
The couple walked hand-in-hand as they came down the stairs and into the corridors of historic Georgian house, corridors lined with well-wishers who took the time to share an embrace and a few words of encouragement before the pained handover.
By her husband’s side, Ms Murty, 44, appeared in a dress of red, white and blue as she offered waves and outstretched palms to the people she would have shared a life with inside Downing Street over the last two years.
Carrying an umbrella – but this time blessed by fair skies – she and Mr Sunak left the building together as he paused to thank staff and campaigners in an address to the nation, while taking personal responsibility for the Tory party’s defeat in the election.
In a short speech, Mr Sunak apologised to the country and said he ‘heard your anger, your disappointment’ in the ‘clear message’ sent by voters.
The couple then disappeared into a saloon car and were driven off to ultimately make their way back to their Yorkshire home, where he remains the MP for Richmond (Yorks) and will oversee a steady transition of power to a new leader of the opposition.
Downing Street staff lined the corridors to share in Mr Sunak’s final emotional moments inside Downing Street on Friday.
The sombre mood of the election was briefly overshadowed by a gracious vote of support after nearly two years as Prime Minister at Number 10.
And while Akshata Murty came prepared with an umbrella, the weather held off for Sunak to make his closing statements to the nation, ahead of the King’s formal acceptance of his resignation.
In a short speech, Mr Sunak told the nation: ‘I have given this job my all. But you have sent a clear message, and yours is the only judgement that matters.’
‘This is a difficult day, but I leave this job honoured to have been prime minister of the best country in the world.’
Mr Sunak said he would resign as Tory leader once a replacement had been chosen. He also paid tribute to Sir Keir as a public servant, wishing him and his family well in their new duties.
The couple, not accompanied by their daughters, then walked hand-in-hand to a waiting car and were driven away to see the King.
A statement from Buckingham Palace a short time later said: ‘The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP had an audience of The King this morning and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.’
Early this afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer arrived at Downing Street with his wife, Lady Victoria, to deliver his historic first speech as Prime Minister, thanking Mr Sunak for ‘the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership’.
He continued: ‘But now our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics to public service.
‘When the gap between the sacrifices made between people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation.’
Sir Keir urged that we ‘need to move forward together’ and ‘heal’ the ‘wound, this lack of trust’ through ‘actions, not words’.
‘I know that, but we can make a start today with the simple acknowledgement that public service is a privilege, and that your government should treat every single person in this country with respect.’
”If you voted Labour yesterday, we will carry the responsibility of your trust as we rebuild our country. But whether you voted Labour or not, in fact, especially if you did not, I say to you directly – my government will serve you.
‘Politics can be a force for good. We will show that. We have changed the Labour party, returned it to service, and that is how we will govern. County first, party second.’
Mr Sunak and his wife are now reportedly in the process of returning to their Grade-II Georgian mansion in Richmond, Yorks.
But they will not be far from London, with a five-bedroom mews house in West Kensington.
And the Sunaks have the choice of a penthouse on Ocean Avenue in California, bought in 2014.
Rumours have swirled that Mr Sunak intends to move to California, where he recently donated £2.4mn to a local college for a high-tech computer lab.
For now, the outgoing Prime Minister has said he will oversee the Tory party until a replacement is found for leader of the opposition, stressing the need for a strong party to hold the government to account.
The party was decimated in the July 4 election, winning just 121 constituencies down from 365 in 2019.
A trend of the evening was the growth of Reform UK in contested seats, splitting the vote and handing Labour the win, even when overall support for the party fell.
Labour won 412 seats, up 211 from 2019, as the Tories lost 251.
The Liberal Democrats were the quiet success story from the night, gaining 63 seats up to 71 in the election.
The party offered a compelling mix of policies that made them ‘the only viable opponents to a Conservative party that vast swathes of the country has had enough of’, according to The Spectator, while also pursuing policies aimed at Labour voters.