UK election, Jonson’s win erects obstacles before conservatives

Reem Abdulmajid

As the Conservative Party won a sweeping majority in Parliament’s House of Commons in the United Kingdom’s elections this Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has what is needed to take the country out of the European Union by January 31, 2020.

However, observers say this victory is only momentary and the Conservative Party should not be celebrating it much, as this victory might be a victory succeeded by several repercussions that could affect the United Kingdom as a super power.

The Conservatives picked up about 365 seats, which translates to an 80-seat majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.

The Labour Party suffered its worst showing in more than 80 years.

The pro-independence Scottish National Party, known as the S.N.P., picked up 48 of Scotland’s 59 seats. Its powerful performance could renew calls for a referendum on Scottish independence, which Johnson opposes.

In England and Wales, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s earnest, back-to-the-future socialism (he promised free government broadband to every home) failed to win voters over to his cause. His waffling and incoherence on Brexit—Labour’s policy was to negotiate a “better” deal and hold a referendum on that deal, in which the party would campaign against its own deal but its leader would stay neutral—pushed some pro-Brexit voters toward the decidedly unambiguous Brexit Party, according to Foreign Policy.

The stench of anti-Semitism (the party is being investigated by Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission) further depressed Labour’s support. All the Tories needed to do was to get their existing vote out. The result was just 300,000 more votes for Johnson than for Theresa May in 2017, but Corbyn’s Labour lost 2.6 million votes.

The result is a Conservative administration with the parliamentary support needed to bring the Brexit process to a conclusion. Ratification of the withdrawal agreement, impossible in the previous Parliament, will be brought forward next week. Implementing legislation for Brexit is scheduled for January and February, the report added.

The victory of the Conservative Party in the general elections has several repercussions that represent obstacles to the party that could portend a catastrophic fate for it if it fails to address it. These repercussions are:

First, Britain’s place in the international system: The UK will have to find a new place on the international scene outside the European Union, which it will leave by the end of next month at the latest.

Second, UK unity might collapse; Though the Scottish Nationalists’ impressive result (they won 48 of 59 Scottish seats on Dec. 12) will lead to demands for a second independence referendum, raising the possibility that an independent Scotland might one day choose to rejoin the EU, this will for the moment remain a constitutional crisis for London and Edinburgh to resolve. Once the withdrawal agreement is ratified, Northern Ireland will, for most practical purposes, find itself inside the EU’s sphere of influence. Once the withdrawal agreement is ratified, Northern Ireland will, for most practical purposes, find itself inside the EU’s sphere of influence.

Third; The emergence of social, cultural and geographical divisions in England itself; this represents a major challenge for the conservatives, who are struggling to tackle these divisions, which will develop rapidly due to Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Fourth; The possibility for divisions to emerge between the conservatives themselves about leaving the European Union, as Johnson promised to leave in January without extending the negotiation period, and this would be impossible without resorting to an exit that does not include harmony with the rules and standards of the European Union.

Thus, Johnson is forced to make concessions to Brussels, to the outrage of the anti-union far-right, who earlier managed to destroy Theresa May. This scenario warns of splits within the conservatives.

Moreover, the economic crisis might further escalate, as the conservatives would face difficulties boosting the British economy due to financial restrictions and economic growth . Besides the existence of economic shocks such as the banking crisis, or the collapse of the stock market. Most of these are unresolved and unknown until now, which causes the British economy in the short term, to suffer a severe decline.