British opposition leader Ed Miliband announced his resignation as head of his centre-left Labour Party on Friday after a crushing defeat in a general election by Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives.   

‘It's time for someone else to take forward the interests of this party,’ said Miliband, who will remain in parliament, adding: ‘Britain needs a strong Labour Party... that can rebuild after this defeat.’

Labour, which had gone into the election expecting to challenge for power, was instead soundly beaten by the Conservative Party, which is now set to govern on its own with an outright parliamentary majority.

‘Britain needs a strong Labour party. Britain needs a Labour party that can rebuild after this defeat so we can have a government that stands up for working people again,’ Miliband told a party meeting.

‘And now it's time for someone else to take forward the leadership of this party, so I'm tendering my resignation, taking effect after this afternoon's commemoration of VE day ...’

He said the party's deputy leader Harriet Harman would take over until a new leader is elected.

Clegg resigns as Liberal Democrat leader after UK vote plunge

The leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg resigned on Friday after his party suffered what he called a ‘crushing’ defeat in a general election.

‘The results have been crushing,’ Clegg, who was the deputy prime minister for five years under David Cameron, told supporters.