BORIS Johnson has insisted he can “heal” the divisions of Brexit and bring together England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland .
Speaking on the steps of Number 10 yesterday afternoon, shortly after being asked by the Queen to form the next government, the Prime Minister, said he now had an “overwhelming mandate” to take Britain out of the EU.
The Tories won 365 seats, while Labour took in 203, the SNP 48 and the LibDems just 11.
In Northern Ireland, the DUP took eight seats, while Sinn Fein won seven, the SDLP two and the Alliance party one.
In Wales, Plaid Cymru won four, while the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas held on to her seat in Brighton.
The Brexit Party failed to win any Westminster seats.
READ MORE: General Election result has now finished UK as a political entity
With the result in from all 650 constituencies, the Prime Minister now has a majority of 80, the biggest win for the Tories in three decades. The scale of his victory means Brexit is now a certainty.
It’s expected that Johnson will reintroduce his Withdrawal Agreement Bill to the Commons next Friday following the Queen’s Speech and State Opening of Parliament on Thursday.
In his speech, the Prime Minister urged “everyone to find closure and to let the healing begin”.
He said: “In this moment of national resolution, I want to speak directly to those who made it possible and to those who voted for us for the first time and those whose pencils may have wavered over the ballot and who heard the voices of their parents and grandparents whispering anxiously in their ears. I say thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me.
“We will work around the clock to repay your trust and to deliver on your priorities with a parliament that works for you.”
Then the Prime Minister addressed his remarks to “those who did not vote for us or for me and who wanted and perhaps still want to remain in the EU”.
He added: “I want you to know that 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.
“Because now is the moment, precisely, as we leave the EU, to let those natural feelings find renewed expression in building a new partnership, which is one of the great projects for next year.
“As we work together with the EU, as friends and sovereign equals, tackling climate change and terrorism, in building academic and scientific co-operation, redoubling our trading relationship, I frankly urge everyone, on either side of what are, after three and a half years, after all an increasingly arid argument, I urge everyone to find closure and let the healing begin.”
Johnson said he would use “his extraordinary majority” to “unite and level up bringing together the whole of this incredible United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland”.
“Together, taking us forward, unleashing the potential of the whole country. Delivering opportunity across the entire nation.
“And since I know, that after five weeks, frankly, of electioneering, this country deserves a break from wrangling, a break from politics and a permanent break from talking about Brexit.
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He continued: “I want everyone to go about their Christmas preparations, happy and secure in the knowledge that here, in this people’s government, the work is now being stepped up to make 2020 a year of prosperity and growth and hope and to deliver a Parliament that works for the people.”
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the results was the complete collapse of Labour’s so-called “red wall”.
Constituencies across the north and Midlands which had been Labour since the start of the last century.
Dennis Skinner in Bolsover and Tony Blair’s old seat of Sedgefield were among the casualties. Bishop Aucklan and Blyth Valley, which have been Labour since they were created, both turned blue.
Donald Trump congratulated Johnson on his “great win” and said the UK and US would be free to strike a “massive” new trade deal after Brexit.
The president tweeted: “This deal has the potential to be far bigger and more lucrative than any deal that could be made with the EU. Celebrate Boris!”
Johnson’s victory sparked a surge on the stock market, with Britain’s largest companies have gaining more than £30 billion in value in one day.
Shares in companies that had been earmarked by the Labour Party for nationalisation, including energy and utility firms, rallied.
The pound initially rose by more than two cents against the dollar to above $1.35. The euro also rallied to around €1.20.
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