"Coronavirus has brought normal life to a halt," Keir Starmer said, adding that he wants to "engage constructively" with the government in fighting it.
LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Keir Starmer has been named the new leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, replacing Jeremy Corbyn.
In a video posted on his Twitter account, Starmer said it was the biggest "honor and privilege of (his) life" to be elected as the new leader.
London-born Starmer, named after the party's founder Keir Hardie, beat two rival members of parliament for the top job that will see him sparring with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons.
The result of the ballot among party members and trade unionists gave Starmer more votes than his leadership rivals Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy.
Photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows a notice on the floor outside a supermarket reminding customers to keep a social distance while queueing in London, Britain. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
One of the first tasks for the new leader will be to respond to an invitation issued Saturday to all party leaders by Johnson to a coronavirus briefing at Westminster next week.
Johnson said he wants to engage constructively with other political parties, listen to views of other leaders, and update them on the measures Britain has taken so far against the pandemic.
In a statement released after being declared the winner, Starmer said that his first task will be to set Labour's approach to COVID-19, adding that he will play his part with other parties in responding to the virus.
"Coronavirus has brought normal life to a halt," he said, adding that he wants to "engage constructively" with the government in fighting it. ■