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Conservatives Win Election, Clearing Brexit Path

London, England —(Map)

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative party has won the UK election, taking control of the House of Commons. This clears the path for Mr. Johnson to push through his plan to leave the European Union.

Brexit
Brexit is a word made up to describe the British Exit   from the European Union (EU). In a special vote in 2016, more than half of the voters in the United Kingdom (UK)   chose to leave the EU. Since then, the UK has been struggling to agree to a deal. The deadline for Brexit is January 31, 2020.

Early results from the UK show the Conservatives winning 364 of 650 seats in the House of Commons. The Labour party won 203 seats – a loss of 59 seats. The results are the biggest election win for the Conservatives and the biggest loss for Labour since the 1980s.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson Hosts the 2019 NATO Leaders meeting at 10 Downing Street.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative party has won the UK election, taking control of the House of Commons. This clears the path for Mr. Johnson (above) to push through his plan to leave the European Union.
(Source: Number 10, via Flickr.com.)

The win is a huge one for Mr. Johnson, and seems to be a clear sign that voters think he is the best choice to lead the country out of its Brexit mess.

Stuck on Brexit

For nearly three years, the UK has worked with the EU to try to reach a deal that would outline how the UK could leave the EU. The process has taken far longer than expected. Though Ex-Prime Minister Theresa May reached an agreement with the EU, the UK Parliament never approved the deal.

When Boris Johnson took over as prime minister in July, he said that the UK should leave the EU in any way possible, including without an agreement. Experts warn that leaving without a deal would be damaging for the UK.

PM Boris Johnson's Statement to the House of Commons 19/10/2019
Though Mr. Johnson reached a new deal with the EU, the deal was blocked by Parliament. Mr. Johnson decided to call an election because Parliament (above) was unable to reach any agreements and time was running out.
(Source: Jessica Taylor, [Parliamentary Copyright], UK Parliament, via Flickr.com.)

At the last possible moment, Mr. Johnson reached a new deal with the EU. But, like many of Mr. Johnson’s efforts, the deal was blocked by Parliament.

With Parliament unable to reach any agreements and the time running out, Mr. Johnson decided to call an election. He hoped it would give him the votes needed to get his Brexit deal passed in Parliament. Clearly, he was right.

Winning (and Losing) on Brexit

In the end, voters seemed to like Mr. Johnson’s promise to “Get Brexit Done.” Mr. Johnson got all of the Conservatives who were running to promise to back his Brexit plan. That makes it almost certain that Brexit will now happen on or before the deadline of January 31, 2020.

Mr. Johnson’s energetic style and clear message appealed to many voters, who seem willing to ignore the unusual things he sometimes says and does.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the 2019 NATO Leaders meeting.
Voters seemed to like Mr. Johnson’s promise to “Get Brexit Done.” It’s now almost certain that Brexit will happen on or before the deadline of January 31, 2020. Mr. Johnson is shown speaking at the 2019 NATO meeting.
(Source: Number 10, via Flickr.com.)

Mr. Corbyn tried to interest voters in other topics, like health care, education, and improving conditions for workers and poor people. But voters remained focused on Brexit – a subject that Mr. Corbyn was not at all clear about. Mr. Corbyn’s promise to work out a new deal and then hold another Brexit vote sounded to many voters like more of the same.

After the huge loss, Mr. Corbyn is under pressure to step down as Labour’s leader. He has said he will step down before the next election.

Jeremy Corbyn 6th December, 2019
Mr. Corbyn tried to interest voters in other topics, like health care, education, and improving conditions for workers and poor people. But voters remained focused on Brexit. After the huge loss, Mr. Corbyn is under pressure to step down as Labour’s leader.
(Source: Jeremy Corbyn, via Flickr.com.)

For Mr. Johnson, it’s now time to prove that he can make his plan happen. Getting his Brexit deal passed by Parliament may be fairly simple. But the next step – working out the details of how the UK and the EU will buy and sell things – will be very difficult. And that comes with a new deadline – December 31, 2020.

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