General Election 2019: Conservative party wins in landslide election
As you’ll have heard all over the news, the UK held a huge general election on December 12th 2019; a battle of campaigns that saw the country mostly divided between Labour and Conservative. After valiant campaigns from all parties, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won the majority of the votes in the General Election 2019, taking 365 seats in a resounding victory over rival Jeremy Corbyn.
What changes do the Conservative party plan to implement?
Perhaps the main focus which the Conservatives focussed on through their slogan was “Get Brexit Done”. This entails clearing a quick and easy path to leaving the EU, so they can begin to focus on other things. The party has placed a huge focus on this throughout their campaign, and will work towards pushing Brexit through, and regulating the transition period that follows.
Aside from this, Boris Johnson has guaranteed extra funding for the NHS, with 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP surgery appointments available annually. He has also promised a larger police force, and to invest millions more into local infrastructure.
During his recent campaign, Boris Johnson also promised that within 100 days of the polling day, there would be a budget proposal, setting any changes to taxes, benefits and whatnot by the start of the new financial year.
Brexit bill planned for Friday
Following the recent general election 2019, it has been announced that the Conservative party, led by newly re-elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson will storm forward with plans for Brexit, starting with a vote on Johnson’s Brexit bill this Friday (20th December 2019.)
The withdrawal agreement bill which they will be voting on is essentially what will enable Brexit to happen. At present, the deadline for Brexit is 31st January 2020.
After this, it will be Mr Johnson’s job to negotiate a trade deal, and produce a final agreement by the end of June. At this point, the UK decides whether or not to extend the transition period. If no deal has been agreed by June, then the UK may have to leave the EU without a deal at the end of December 2020.
Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders to step down
Following their defeats, Liberal Democrat party leader Jo Swinson, and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn will be stepping down from their respective roles. Jeremy Corbyn announced that after a ‘process of reflection’ he would not be leading Labour into the next election, whilst Jo Swinson lost her seat to the SNP by 149 votes. As she no longer holds a seat in the Commons, this forced her to step down. The new leader for each party will be determined in the new year.
