The Conservative Party of Prime Minister Boris Johnson won an overwhelming majority in the British legislative elections on Thursday, December 12, according to an exit poll, which should allow the conservative leader to realize the Brexit end of January as promised. The bet seemed uncertain but the success is without appeal for the conservative leader, determined to end three years of a saga that has torn the country and 47 years of tumultuous marriage between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
"Thank you to everyone across the country who voted, who volunteered, who introduced themselves. We live in the largest democracy in the world »responded Boris Johnson, elected for a five-year term, on Twitter.
The Conservatives win a very comfortable majority of 368 seats out of 650, against 317 in the previous election in 2017, according to the poll conducted at the exit of polling stations by the Ipsos / MORI Institute for British media.
Labor Jeremy Corbyn collapse to 191 seats (against 262), according to projections generally close to the results. He said on Friday " very disappointed " the result of the previous legislative elections, adding that he "Will not lead the party in the next elections". Speaking after the announcement of his reelection in his London constituency of Islington North, he said he wanted his party to start a "Reflection on the result of the election and on its future policy", while Labor recorded a heavy defeat, according to an exit poll, losing dozens of seats.
The British Labor Party's number two, John McDonnell, ruled Thursday "Extremely disappointing" the stinging defeat of his legislative move, explaining it by "Brexit fatigue" on which Labor remained undecided. "It seems that the subject of Brexit has dominated, it is largely Brexit fatigue. People want to finishsaid McDonnell on Sky News, commenting on an exit poll.
These estimates provide such a broad, unprecedented advance for the Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher that a change in trend seems unthinkable.
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The book flies away
The British pound jumped Thursday to its highest level since May 2018 against the dollar and since July 2016 against the euro at the announcement of these trends. At 22:25, the pound soared by 2.34% against the dollar, 1.3469 dollar and 1.93% against the European currency, 82.97 pence for one euro.
The market reacts "What seems to be a very strong victory for the conservatives, which gives Boris Johnson the mandate to carry out the Brexit", commented Shaun Osborne, Head of Forex Strategy at Scotiabank.
This result "Brings some clarity" and "Avoids the risk of a shared parliament or another referendum", he added. This lifting of uncertainty will surely be welcomed with relief by companies, he explained.
Break the deadlock
The Conservative Prime Minister wanted these legislative elections, the third in four years, to get the UK out of the Brexit stalemate, which has deeply divided the country since the victory of the "Leave" with 52% of the votes in the 2016 referendum.
Hitherto without a majority in the House of Commons, the 55-year-old leader, who came to power in July as the savior of Brexit, failed to get Parliament to pass the divorce agreement he had bitterly negotiated with Brussels.
During the election campaign, he promised to submit the agreement to the 650 newly elected deputies before Christmas with the goal of implementing Brexit on 31 January, when it is now scheduled after three postponements.
A consecration of the Labor Party could have signed the Brexit death warrant: they wanted to renegotiate a new, more social, divorce agreement and then submit it to a referendum with the option of keeping it in the EU.
New negotiations page
In addition to the unification of the country, realizing the Brexit should finally be able to tackle "Priorities" British, such as health and safety, said the head of government during a campaign without great relief, but marked by blows, including social networks, largely from the Conservatives.
Voters were not seduced by the promise of Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran of the Labor Party's left wing, "Real change" after almost a decade of conservative power and almost as much austerity, with all-out nationalisations and massive investments, especially in the public health service (NHS).
On the Brexit, the septuagenarian, regularly accused of turning a blind eye to accusations of anti-Semitism in his party, planned to stay "Neutral" in case of second referendum.
On the left, the SNP's Scottish nationalists win 20 seats at 55 mandates, according to the exit poll. Openly Europhiles, the Liberal Democrats nibble a seat to 13.
Avoid sudden break
The withdrawal agreement organizes the Irish border after Brexit, citizens' rights and British financial commitments. It also avoids a sudden break by introducing a transitional period until the end of 2020, extendible, during which the British will continue to apply the European rules.
Once the divorce has taken place, the technical and complex phase of negotiations will begin on the future commercial relationship between London and Brussels. But even before it starts, Boris Johnson's assertion that he can close it in less than a year is considered unrealistic in Brussels.
Our selection of articles to understand Brexit
- Six months after the British Parliament refused to ratify the agreement between Theresa May and the EU on Brexit, a new deal was negotiated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
- This text, which takes up most of the "withdrawal agreement" in November 2018, notably removes the existence of the "backstop" at the border between the two Ireland. Here are the key points.
- Understand: the schema that summarizes the possible options (dated October 2019), while the parliamentarians must validate the agreement of Boris Johnson to formalize the divorce between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Find all our articles on Brexit in this section.
