Triumphant Boris Johnson must now deliver on all those promises
- Following his landslide general election victory, Britain’s ‘one nation’ leader has to push ahead with complex Brexit talks and find the money for investment in health services, education and infrastructure
Britain’s snap election was the most unpredictable for decades, but the results declared yesterday are crystal clear. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party has won a landslide victory. It means Brexit will be done at last. The nature of the win will also shake up British politics, reshaping the landscape. A new era has begun.
Johnson is the first prime minister to win a comfortable majority since 2005. The days of hung parliaments and coalition governments are over, he has a strong mandate and will be able to pursue his agenda. What form that takes remains to be seen. Johnson’s message on Brexit is clear – get it done.
This appealed to voters frustrated by three years of wrangling, and the impasse in parliament will now be broken. With a large majority, the deal Johnson struck with the European Union will be passed, but that is not quite the same as getting Brexit done.
Britain’s future relationship with the EU still needs to be worked out, notably the need for a trade agreement. This will involve complex talks. His determination to seal a deal by the end of next year, when the transition period concludes, is optimistic.
The Conservatives made extraordinary gains in working class parts of the country that traditionally vote for the opposition Labour Party. One reason for this was Johnson’s stance on Brexit, which led many voters to swap sides. But it was also down to Labour’s failings.