INCUMBENT British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to power with a resounding majority as his Conservative Party scored the biggest election victory since 1987. He has described the thunderous win as an overwhelming mandate to take Britain out of the European Union on January 31.
The outcome of the election is, no doubt, an expression of confidence in the leadership of Boris Johnson, who has been embroiled in a deeper political and legal crisis on the issue of his country leaving the European Union. His moves towards that goal were obstructed both by the opposition and some of his own colleagues and that is why he fought the election under the slogan of “Get Brexit Done” and received approval of the masses in this regard. In his victory speech, the Prime Minister said the Conservatives’ victory had “smashed the roadblock” in Parliament over Brexit and put an end to the “miserable threats” of another referendum on Europe. The vote marks a remarkable turnaround for Mr. Johnson, who in the space of five months renegotiated a Brexit divorce deal with the EU and rallied his divided party and Britain’s exasperated voters behind it. Experts say though now free to realize his Brexit dream, Johnson faces the daunting task of negotiating a trade agreement with the EU, possible in just 11 months, while also negotiating another trade deal with the US. The outcome also appeared to sink the leadership of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who campaigned on the party’s most left-wing manifesto in decades with proposals for large increases in government spending and nationalization of key industries. The election result is also relevant for Pakistan as a record 15 British Pakistanis made it to the House of Commons, who can, of course, contribute a lot in fostering bilateral relations further between the two friendly countries.
