Despite earlier republican tendencies the new PM is no stranger to the monarch and has shown strong support
General election 2024: live news
The revolving door of No 10 has yielded three prime ministers in the less than two years King Charles III has been on the throne.
So as Keir Starmer “kissed hands” – a historical term for what is essentially these days a mere handshake – with the sovereign at Buckingham Palace, the king perhaps, like much of the rest of the country he heads, may have hoped it was a ceremony he would not be performing again in the near future.
