The UK election showed mixed results, politically surprising and shocking the nation, yet again. Prime Minister, Theresa May’s Conservatives are still the largest party, and will probably govern as the majority. However, they are losing seats in Parliament in this UK election. As of last count, the Conservatives have won 318 seats, while Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party had 261.
Prime Minister May’s party needs 326 seats to be the absolute majority. As some analysts predicted, it’s resulted in a hung parliament.
At the moment, the PM’s position and the fate of the Brexit negotiations after the UK election are up in the air. The exit polls, gathered jointly by BBC, Sky and ITV, the main TV broadcasters in the UK, suggest that the Conservatives are likely to win 314 out of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.
They project that the Labour Party will have 266. BBC later changed its prediction, with the Conservatives winning 322 seats, to allow them to be the working majority. Some are now thinking that the hard Brexit approach of May did not sit well with the British electorate.
Brexit Talks
The poll results could drastically affect the negotiations for Brexit. May promised a hard Brexit if the terms of the separation from the European Union are not favorable. She said that she would take Britain out of the single market and customs union of the EU. This will have a massive impact on the country’s trade relationship. One of the biggest trading partners of Britain is the EU.
The immediate effect of the UK election results was seen at the financial sector, with the British pound’s value tumbling 1.6% to $1.27.
Very Difficult UK Election Campaign
The Conservatives thought that they would be snatching seats away from the Labour Party in this snap UK election, but that did not happen. The campaign period was a tough one for May, as the previous wide gap between the Conservative and Labour narrowed considerably. Missteps along the way caused the Conservative campaign trail to falter.
Criticisms were piled on May, including her controversial proposal on who is to pay for the cost of elderly care, which many called the “dementia tax.” She was also criticized for her various social welfare U-turns and her refusal to participate in a televised debate.
National security also took the focus out of Brexit. It was during the campaign period that two terror attacks occurred in London and Manchester. These attacks brought the focus back to the national security decisions the prime minister made when she was still the Home Secretary. The attacks became the subject of many heated debates because when May was the Home Secretary, she reduced the number of police by 20,000.
Jeremy Corbyn was also brought to the spotlight in this UK election. It showed his tenacious hold as the leader of the Labour Party, despite the many attempts of senior members to remove him.
Even if a number of Tories lost their seats, it is still a victory, although minor, for the Conservatives. A senior Tory even went on to say that May’s advisers should resign because they allowed the prime minister to have zero credibility at the exit poll.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
LinkedIn
Email