Thaindian News

London, May 12 (IANS) Conservative leader David Cameron was Tuesday appointed as Britain’s new prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II, ending the 13-year rule of the Labour Party led by Gordon Brown, who resigned following his party’s defeat in the last week’s elections.

Cameron, 43, left Buckingham Palace after formally accepting the Queen’s request to form a government, BBC reported.

The Conservatives, which emerged as the largest party in the May 6 elections but failed to get the majority required to form government, have been in talks with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to form a coalition with his 57 MPs.

Britain saw a hung parliament for the first time since 1974. The Conservatives finished 20 seats short of a majority of 326 seats required to govern alone, while Labour won 258 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons.

It is not yet known whether they have reached a formal agreement with the Lib Dems. The Conservatives have been in negotiations with the Lib Dems, who were also talking to Labour Party, after the election resulted in a hung parliament.

But the Lib Dems said talks with Labour failed because “the Labour Party never took seriously the prospects of forming a progressive, reforming government”.

Earlier, Brown tendered his resignation after the negotations between his Labour Party and Lib Dems failed to reach any agreement.

In an emotional resignation speech outside 10 Downing Street, Brown said: “I loved the job not for its prestige, its titles and its ceremony - which I do not love at all. No, I loved the job for its potential to make this country I love fairer, more tolerant, more green, more democratic, more prosperous and more just - truly a greater Britain”.

He also thanked Labour activists and MPs for all their efforts and told them Labour’s general election performance was “my fault, and my fault alone”.