UK election: exit poll shows Boris Johnson winning majority needed to push through Brexit
- PM’s Conservative Party forecast to secure 368 seats, for majority of 86
- In last five national elections, only one exit poll has got outcome wrong
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party will win a majority of 86 seats in Britain’s election, giving him the numbers in parliament he needs to deliver Brexit on Jan. 31, an exit poll indicated on Thursday.
The exit poll showed Johnson’s Conservatives would win 368 seats, enough for a comfortable outright majority in the 650-seat parliament.
Labour were forecast to win 191 seats, the Scottish National Party 55 seats and the Liberal Democrats 13.
Official results will be declared over the next seven hours.
In the last five national elections, only one exit poll has got the outcome wrong – in 2015 when the poll predicted a hung parliament when in fact the Conservatives won a majority, taking 14 more seats than forecast.
If Johnson’s bet on a snap election has paid off, he will move swiftly to ratify the Brexit deal he struck with the European Union so that the United Kingdom can leave on January 31 – 10 months later than initially planned.