Boris Johnson arrives for an audience with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, who invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government.
LONDON, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived at Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, where she formally ask him to form a government following his thumping election victory.
In the 650-seat parliament, Johnson’s Conservative party has secured 365 seats – its biggest majority since the heyday of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
Boris Johnson has said he hopes his party’s “extraordinary” election win will bring “closure” to the Brexit debate and “let the healing begin”.
Later speaking in Downing Street, he said he would seek to repay the trust placed in him by Labour supporters who had voted Conservative for the first time.
He said he would not ignore those who opposed Brexit as he builds with Europe a partnership “of sovereign equals”.
The Tories have won a Commons majority of 80, the party’s largest since 1987.
The Conservatives’ victory in the 650th and final contest of the election – the seat of St Ives, in Cornwall – took their total number of MPs up to 365. Labour finished on 203, the SNP 48, Liberal Democrats 11 and the DUP eight.
Sinn Fein has seven MPs, Plaid Cymru four and Northern Ireland’s SDLP has two. The Green Party and NI’s Alliance Party have one each.
The Brexit Party – which triumphed in the summer’s European Parliament elections – failed to win any Westminster seats.
The Conservatives swept aside Labour in its traditional heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England and picked up seats across Wales, while holding off the Lib Dem challenge in many seats in the south of England.
Voter turnout overall, on a cold and damp polling day, was 67.3%, which is down by 1.5% on the 2017 total.
Speaking outside No 10, Johnson thanked lifelong Labour supporters who deserted Jeremy Corbyn’s party and turned to the Conservatives, saying he would fulfil his pledge to take the UK out of the EU on Jan 31.
“I say thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me and we will work round the clock to repay your trust and to deliver on your priorities with a Parliament that works for you”.
Johnson, who earlier accepted the Queen’s invitation to form a government, also addressed those who did not vote for the Conservatives and still want to remain in the EU.
“We in this One Nation Conservative government will never ignore your good and positive feelings of warmth and sympathy towards the other nations of Europe,” he said.
When they return to Westminster next week, MPs are due to begin the process of considering legislation paving the way for the UK to leave on Jan 31. Talks about a future trade and security relationship will begin almost immediately. — NNN-AGENCIES
