Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was again experiencing the “sunlight of hope” after a Labour landslide put him on course to be the next prime minister.
Tory leader Rishi Sunak conceded defeat after a “sobering” night for his party which saw a record eight Cabinet minister lose their seats.
At a victory rally in central London, Sir Keir said the country could now “get its future back”.
He told jubilant activists “we did it”, adding: “Change begins now.”
Sir Keir said: “We did it. You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it, and now it has arrived – change begins now.
“It feels good, I have to be honest. Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party, this is what it is for – a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people.
“And across our country, people will be waking up to the news, relief that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation.
“And now we can look forward, walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back.”
