The recent election of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on July 23 was a victory for conservatives. Prime Minister Johnson promises that Brexit will happen and that public health services will be a top priority of his. “We will get Brexit done on time on the 31st of January,” said Prime Minister Johnson, “no ifs, no buts, no maybes.” 

Then, after being officially asked by Queen Elizabeth II to create a new government, Prime Minister Johnson made a speech to the people claiming that he and conservatives had a mandate to “get Brexit done.” He then later addressed the issue of the declining National Health Service (NHS) and promised that the government will improve it, something that the Labour Party based its campaign on. Prime Minister Johnson reiterated big spending plans to hire thousands of doctors, nurses, and workers to create new hospitals. He stated that “the overwhelming priority of British people right now is that we should focus above all on the NHS.” 

In the election, conservatives won 365 seats. This was an increase of 48 seats since the last election in 2017. Conservatives celebrated their biggest victory since Margaret Thatcher won a third term in 1987. Several other matters can be noted including Jeremy Corbyn being elected as the head of the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party who lost the election, stated that he will resign before the election, but will currently stay as the head. “I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign,” Corbyn stated. 

The Labour Party won only 203 seats, suffering a loss of 59 seats since the last election. Corbyn has been put under immense pressure and backlash to step down after such a dismal loss. This backlash even resulted in some Labour Party members criticizing him. It is unclear as to when Corbyn plans to step down, as the next election could be as far as five years away. 

The SNP won 48 of 59 seats in Scotland compared to the Liberal Democrats’ 11 seats. This caused an intensified debate over the matter of Scottish independence as they voted against Brexit. The leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, planned to hold an independence referendum. Conservatives, along with Prime Minister Johnson, both greatly opposed it and the referendum would not be recognized by the government in England. This issue was compared to similar incident in Spain where the government of Catalonia held an independence referendum that was declared illegal by the central government two years ago.

Meanwhile, heated debates continue on both sides about the future of the country. It is unclear what may happen and whether Prime Minister Johnson will be able to uphold his promises on Brexit and the NHS.

Photo courtesy of VOX.COM