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British PM Johnson to win a majority of 86: exit poll


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British PM Johnson to win a majority of 86: exit poll

Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton

 

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves a polling station at the Methodist Central Hall, with his dog Dilyn, after voting in the general election in London, Britain, December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party will win a majority of 86 seats in Britain’s election, giving him the numbers in parliament he needs to deliver Brexit on Jan. 31, an exit poll indicated on Thursday.

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves a polling station at the Methodist Central Hall, with his dog Dilyn, after voting in the general election in London, Britain, December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

The exit poll showed Johnson’s Conservatives would win 368 seats, enough for a comfortable outright majority in the 650-seat parliament. Labour were forecast to win 191 seats, the Scottish National Party 55 seats and the Liberal Democrats 13.

 

Official results will be declared over the next seven hours.

 

In the last five national elections, only one exit poll has got the outcome wrong - in 2015 when the poll predicted a hung parliament when in fact the Conservatives won a majority, taking 14 more seats than forecast.

 

If Johnson’s bet on a snap election has paid off, he will move swiftly to ratify the Brexit deal he struck with the European Union so that the United Kingdom can leave on Jan. 31 - 10 months later than initially planned.

 

Johnson called the first Christmas election since 1923 to break what he said was the paralysis of Britain’s political system after more than three years of crisis over how, when or even if to leave the European Union.

 

The face of the “Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum, 55-year-old Johnson fought the election under the slogan of “Get Brexit Done”, promising to end the deadlock and spend more on health, education and the police.

 

The exit poll was produced by three broadcasters - the BBC, ITV and Sky - who teamed up to jointly produce similar surveys in the last three elections, held in 2010, 2015 and 2017.

 

In 2010 and 2017, their exit polls accurately predicted the overall outcome and were close to forecasting the correct number of seats for the two main parties. However in 2015, it predicted a hung parliament when in fact the Conservatives won a majority, taking 14 more seats than forecast.

 

Johnson’s strategy was to breach Labour’s so called “Red Wall” of seats across the Brexit-supporting areas of the Midlands and northern England where he cast his political opponents as the out-of-touch enemies of Brexit.

 

While a majority will allow Johnson to lead the United Kingdom out of the club it first joined in 1973, Brexit is far from over: He faces the daunting task of negotiating a trade agreement with the EU in just 11 months.

 

After Jan. 31 Britain will enter a transition period during which it will negotiate a new relationship with the EU27.

 

This can run until the end of December 2022 under the current rules, but the Conservatives made an election promise not to extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020.

 

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton, Kylie MacLellan, David Milliken, Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-13
 
 
 
 
General Election 2019 - Live Coverage
 
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29 minutes ago, webfact said:

While a majority will allow Johnson to lead the United Kingdom out of the club it first joined in 1973, Brexit is far from over: He faces the daunting task of negotiating a trade agreement with the EU in just 11 months.

That negotiation will go well; I can just imagine all the goodwill waiting to be tapped...

 

Then, I guess, all those other negotiations for all those other trade deals just waiting to be had. Hmm.. I wonder how people are going to feel seeing Johnson going cap in hand to Trump for a deal, assuming that Trump is still President.

 

Congrats to those who wanted to leave the EU; it seems that you are going get your wish. 

 

That said, I can't shake the feeling that Brits, or what is left of the UK in 5 years, are going to look back at this day with great sadness. I suspect it'll be known as the day when it all really fell apart.

 

For the sake of my British friends, I sincerely hope that I am wrong, but...

 

 

 

 

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Excellent results... anything but this for the Anti semite buffon who made no secret of his dislike and disdains towards jews and Israel, although this is about Brexit and the future of England, a person who show extreme bias and dislike toward others should not and can not be a leader of a nation such as the UK...

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Depressing. As it's only 2 weeks away the analogy of Turkeys voting for Christmas is so very apt.

The character assassination attempts on Corbyn clearly worked (and have done for a long time). He is mud in the eyes of too many, his stance on having a remain option in his Brexit proposal has obviously sealed his fate.

Would be interesting to see a breakdown of results relative to age also. Most of the younger people I know voted Labour, yet they've been hammered.

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24 minutes ago, Forethat said:

Looks like Boris will get Brexit done after all. Considering this was more of a Brexit-referendum than anything else, I guess this answers the question whether there's a majority for Brexit...

Don’t worry, despite the people’s confirmation, the usual culprits will still be in denial and still demanding a second referendum or independence or some such. 

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Before one gets too carried away, or despondent, depending on your political viewpoint, remember that, as it seems with any UK decision arrived at by asking the electorate, it should be regarded as purely advisable!

????

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2 minutes ago, Victornoir said:

Europe, finally rid of the Atlanticist drag, will be able to advance towards the East, in accordance with its primary vocation.

 

Didn't work out too well the last couple of times it has been tried...

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1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Congratulations to you. You will get the PM you deserve.

Please get Brexit done ASAP. And then stop blaming the EU for all the things which will go wrong in the UK.

And enjoy going to bed with Donald. You seem to be made for each other.

Good luck - you need it.

the EU will be a thing of the past, a bit like the Incas, but thank you 

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1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

That negotiation will go well; I can just imagine all the goodwill waiting to be tapped...

 

Then, I guess, all those other negotiations for all those other trade deals just waiting to be had. Hmm.. I wonder how people are going to feel seeing Johnson going cap in hand to Trump for a deal, assuming that Trump is still President.

 

Congrats to those who wanted to leave the EU; it seems that you are going get your wish. 

 

That said, I can't shake the feeling that Brits, or what is left of the UK in 5 years, are going to look back at this day with great sadness. I suspect it'll be known as the day when it all really fell apart.

 

For the sake of my British friends, I sincerely hope that I am wrong, but...

 

 

 

 

Agree to a large extent, but the present deadlock had to be broken.

I just want it over and done with.

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5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Congratulations to you. You will get the PM you deserve.

Please get Brexit done ASAP. And then stop blaming the EU for all the things which will go wrong in the UK.

And enjoy going to bed with Donald. You seem to be made for each other.

Good luck - you need it.

You could be more gracious in defeat, but it is a good night for the EU as well, they too will know now which direction they are heading.

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33 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

This must be called a pretty convincing campaign/result for the Cons,

well pulled off.

 

I have to disagree - they were pathetic from the outset, screwing up daily and with some utterly massive, normally unforgivable howlers. However their two saving graces were the total lack of impartiality at the BBC, and that their ineptness was significantly overshadowed by that of Labour. 

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 The same as in America: the LIAR wins ! 

 

The Labour has had a big chance to win this election against this wimp , but NOT with Corbyn, another (left) extremist. The electorate has had a choice between the Devil Johnson and the Mephisto Corbyn !

 

For me it seems that Johnson's slogan "get Brexit done" was more important for the electorate than other political essentials, i.e. competence, solving problems (and not disappearing) and  credibility among others.

 

Let's wait and see if Johnson is able "to do the Brexit" with satisfying results. If the Scots make "GB" to L(ittle)B than the Tories and Johnson has done the "Scoxit" too.

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