By Filane Mikee Cervantes

ROBUST TIES. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and King Charles exchange pleasantries at the royal reception at Buckingham Palace in London, the United Kingdom on May 5, 2023, the eve of the King’s coronation. The President said on Saturday (July 6, 2024) that he is looking forward to strengthening ties with UK through new prime minister Keir Starmer. (File photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office)

MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday congratulated United Kingdom’s (UK) new prime minister Keir Starmer and the British Labour Party on their historic landslide general election victory.

President Marcos said he looks forward to working with Starmer in strengthening the relations between the Philippines and UK.

“On behalf of the Philippines, I extend my warmest congratulations to the Labour Party and @Keir_Starmer,” Marcos said in his official X account.

“We wish the new government success and look forward to further strengthening our deep and longstanding ties,” he added.

The Labour’s historic win ended 14 years of Conservative rule.

Starmer’s party won 412 seats out of a total of 650 seats in the House of Commons. 

“The work of change begins immediately,” Starmer said before entering No. 10 in Downing Street, according to a BBC report. (PNA)