ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top political leadership on Friday congratulated British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer for his historic victory in his country’s national elections, hoping the two countries would further strengthen their ties under his leadership.

The Labour Party swept to power after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, punishing the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval. With almost all the results in, Labour had won 410 seats in the 650-member House of Commons and the Conservatives 118.

Starmer will officially become prime minister today, leading his party back to government less than five years after it suffered its worst defeat in almost a century. However, he will formally take over after a carefully choreographed ceremony in which King Charles III will formally ask him to form the new government.

“Congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer on the landslide victory of the Labour Party in the general elections,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a social media post. “Looking forward to working closely with the new UK government, under Sir Starmer’s wise and able leadership, to further strengthen and broaden the Pakistan-UK partnership.”

President Asif Ali Zardari also wrote a message of felicitation on his social media account, saying he hoped the new UK leader would “play his role in addressing shared challenges faced by the world.”

As votes came in, British PM Rishi Sunak left the prime minister’s residence and headed to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation to King Charles III. He said earlier he took responsibility for his party’s loss and that he had called Starmer to congratulate him.

After more than a decade in power under five different prime ministers, Sunak’s Conservatives are set to have their seats in the 650-seat House of Commons cut down to around 130. That would be the Tories’ worst result in the party’s two-century history and one that would leave it in disarray.

Britain has experienced a run of turbulent years — some of it of the Conservatives’ own making and some of it not — that has left many voters pessimistic about their country’s future.

The UK’s exit from the European Union followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine battered the economy, while lockdown-breaching parties held by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff caused widespread resentment and anger.

- With inputs from AP