Exit polls are indicating that Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party will secure a majority in what was Britain’s third general election in six years and seen as the most important vote in a generation.
The election has been described as the “dirtiest” ever in terms of shady campaign tactics. It has also been one in which some major national issues have faded into the background as the unresolved Brexit dilemma still hangs over the UK.
So contentious is the issue of leaving the European Union, polls showed that some voters were even willing to switch political parties based on Brexit stance alone, causing significant worry to both camps.
The final polls in the run up to election day predicted a win for Johnson — and now the first exit polls seem to confirm they were correct.
The odds were stacked against Johnson when he took the helm at the height of the Brexit drama back in the summer, but he won admiration from Leavers by fulfilling a promise to renegotiate parts of Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement. If the exit polls are indeed correct and Johnson wins an outright majority, he would be able to push his deal through parliament and truly “get Brexit done” — fulfilling his campaign mantra.
It won’t all be smooth sailing for Johnson, however, as he will still be tasked with the challenge of negotiating a satisfactory EU-UK trade deal by December 31, 2020, which will be no easy feat. What’s more, controversies that plagued the last four months of his leadership — including recent scandals over the NHS — will no doubt spill over into his new government.
