Boris Johnson on course for huge win in UK election, exit poll suggests

Source: CNN:::

December 12, 2019 at 19:00

The Conservatives are set to win an overall majority of 86 in the general election, according to an exit poll for the BBC, ITV and Sky News.

(CNN) - Boris Johnson's election gamble appears to have paid off.

Brexit seemed to be firmly back on track Thursday after an initial exit poll suggested his Conservative Party was on course to secure a large majority -- 86 seats -- in the House of Commons.

The exit poll, conducted for the UK's main broadcasters, predicted the Conservatives would win 368 seats, well ahead of Labour's 191. The Scottish National Party is projected to win 55 seats, with the Liberal Democrats securing 13.

Reacting to the exit polls, Johnson thanked the Conservative Party's voters, candidates and volunteers. "We live in the greatest democracy in the world," he tweeted.

If confirmed by the official counts in the next few hours, those numbers represent the best results for the Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher's win in 1987 -- and the worst Labour result in more than 40 years.

Results in line with the exit polls should make it easy for the Prime Minister to pass his Brexit deal through Parliament. He will then be able to finally take the United Kingdom out of the European Union -- more than three years after the country voted to leave the bloc.
If Labour's result is confirmed, Jeremy Corbyn's future as the leader of the party will likely be questioned.

Pledge to 'Get Brexit Done'

Johnson, who only entered Downing Street in July, promised to deliver Brexit by the end of January and then immediately start negotiating a new trade agreement with the European Union.

He is hoping to secure a deal by the end of 2020, before the end of the so-called transition period during which the UK will be formally out of the bloc but still subject to all its rules and regulations. The transition period is designed to prevent a hard landing.

If Johnson can't secure a deal by the end of next year, he would likely need to ask the EU for an extension to the transition period. Crashing out without a trade agreement would be hugely damaging for the UK economy.

On Wednesday CNN obtained a leaked recording of Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, stating that Johnson's chances of getting a deal before 2021 were "improbable."

Johnson's message to "Get Brexit Done" was at the heart of his campaign and in stark contrast to that of Corbyn's Labour Party. Corbyn remained vaguer on his Brexit plans and focused his campaign on increased public spending and radical economic reforms. He pledged to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and then put the new deal to voters with a remain option also on the polling card.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats promised to cancel Brexit altogether, without holding a second referendum.

Future of the union in question

The result, if confirmed, will put a question mark over Scotland's future in the United Kingdom, since the SNP's key aim is Scottish independence.

The exit poll suggests the SNP has gained 20 more seats compared to the 2017 election, winning in almost all Scottish constituencies.

Scotland voted to stay in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit Referendum, and the SNP has consistently argued the country is "being dragged out" of the EU against its will.
While Johnson has pledged to stop a second Scottish independence referendum, the SNP will likely feel emboldened by their election result.

Campaign plagued by fake news

The general election, Britain's third in just four years, was not due to have been held until 2022, but Johnson was forced to call one early after suffering a series of key defeats in Parliament in the fall. Unable to find enough support for his Brexit strategy, the Prime Minister first rid his party of rebels opposing hard Brexit and then called the snap vote.
The Prime Minister was initially under threat of losing votes to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party. However, midway through the campaign, Farage announced his party would not contest Conservative-held seats, which increased Johnson's chances of a victory. Farage explained the move as an attempt to avoid a split in the Brexit vote.

But even with that boost, it wasn't plain sailing for Johnson. One opinion poll published late Tuesday showed his predicted majority shrinking to just 28 seats, from 68 two weeks earlier.

The divisive election campaign was plagued by fake news and disinformation and left many voters feeling frustrated.

Johnson himself minimized contact with the public, refused to be interviewed by a tenacious TV interviewer, and declined to participate in a leaders' debate on climate change. In the end, that strategy appeared to have worked. His next challenge is whether or not he can keep his party together as he finally delivers the Brexit that so many of them voted for and have been arguing about ever since.