Boris Johnson stays on at 10 Downing Street, and the Conservatives get another term in government, as the British people gave the party an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons. In an election that was all about Brexit, and had been forced by the British parliament failing to back Johnson’s Brexit strategy, this mandate can be viewed as a second referendum on the exit, and so eases the way for the Prime Minister as he leads Britain out of the European Union. On his return from Buckingham Palace, after the audience with the Queen, the Prime Minister made clear his resolve to do just that, calling for closure and to let the healing begin.
Johnson has the numbers that his predecessor Theresa May didn’t have, and which had led to the deadlock on the Brexit votes compeling the election. But the question is whether Johnson can get a deal from the European Union that the House of Commons will pass. The party now has a solid majority in the House, and the party candidates had all signed up to the deal, so Johnson and the party whips will not have to fight to ensure that their members toe the party line when the deal is voted in parliament, possibly before the year ends. For the British Prime Minister, Christmas this year won’t be a holiday, if he wants to meet the January 31, 2020 deadline to sever the cords with the union.
On the other side in the House, for Labour this is a time for introspection, the party showing its worst performance since World War II. Jeremy Corbyn, accepting victory in his constituency, has announced that he won’t be leading the party in another general election. With the majority the Conservatives have, an election is unlikely before a full term of five years is completed, which means Labour will have been seated on the opposition benches for 15 years before they get the opportunity to make a bid for power. Corbyn’s successor, who is likely to be elected in the New Year, will have ample time to marshal the party before it has to face the electorate again.
It hasn’t been a great election for the Liberal Democrats either, as their leader Jo Swinson lost and has stepped down. This was a party that in 2010 had shared power with the Conservatives, with a tally of 57 seats and is now down to 11. With the opposition in disarray, Johnson appears to have a clear field to take Britain out of the Union, and then work out a deal as a non-member. But, he will have to contend with the demands of the Scottish National Party who gained 48 seats, and view the result as a mandate for a referendum on Scotland’s future within the UK.
Closer to home interest, Goa’s number in the House of Commons has remained steady with three MPs of Goan origin getting elected. There is Valerie Vaz of the Labour party who has been returned from Walsall South, and Suella Braverman who retained Fareham for the Conservatives. The new entrant is Claire Coutinho who got elected on a Conservative ticket from Surrey East. In the last election the third MP of Goan origin had been Keith Vaz of the Labour party, who did not contest this time, having retired from politics. For the thousands of Goans in Britain, the three MPs may give some hope that their voice will be heard, if not always at least sometimes.
There will be some changes with the new government. The Conservatives had announced a changed immigration policy that will treat EU and non-EU citizens by the same yardstick, and introduce a points-based system that will decide on immigrants, while reducing the number of those coming to Britain. In essence, mainly those who have a job offer will be welcome, while there will be special categories for those filling up posts in public services. Not good news to the Goans who may have been preparing to migrate to the United Kingdom.
