Boris Johnson to be next British PM

World Tuesday 23/July/2019 15:10 PM
By: Times News Service
Boris Johnson to be next British PM

London: Boris Johnson was announced as the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest on Tuesday and will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May in 10 Downing Street.

The former Mayor of London and foreign secretary was elected by Conservative Party members in the final round, defeating his successor at the foreign office Jeremy Hunt.

With 87.4 percent turnout from 159,320 eligible voters, Johnson received 92,153 votes to Hunt's 46,656.

In his victory speech, Johnson said, "I say to all the doubters, dude we are going to energise the country! We are going to get Brexit done on October the 31st. We are going to take advantage of all the opportunities that it will bring in a new spirit of can do.

"And we are once again going to believe in ourselves and what we can achieve and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity with better education, better infrastructure, more police, fantastic full fibre broadband sprouting in every household. We are going to unite this amazing country and we are going to take it forward."

"I will work flat out from now on with my team that I will build I hope in the next few days to repay your confidence but in the meantime the campaign is over and the work begins," he concluded.

Johnson is set to become prime minister on Wednesday.

Reactions to his victory varied across the UK's political spectrum.

May pledged her full support to Johnson, saying "we now need to work together to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK and to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government. You will have my full support from the back benches.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, on other hand took to Twitter to call for a general election, writing, "Boris Johnson has won the support of fewer than 100,000 unrepresentative Conservative Party members by promising tax cuts for the richest, presenting himself as the bankers' friend, and pushing for a damaging No Deal Brexit.

"But he hasn't won the support of our country."

"The people of our country should decide who becomes the Prime Minister in a General Election."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, while congratulating Johnson, stated that she had "profound concerns" about Johnson's premiership.

"These are concerns that I am certain will be shared by the vast majority of people in Scotland who, had they been given any say, would not have chosen to hand the keys of Number 10 to someone with his views and track record," she stated.

"Mr Johnson should be in no doubt about the gravity of the situation he is about to inherit as Prime Minister nor, in particular, about the strength with which I and others will oppose his threat of a No-deal Brexit."

A number of world leaders congratulated Johnson on social media.

US President Donald Trump, "Congratulations to Boris Johnson for becoming the new Prime Minister of the UK. He will be great!"

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also congratulated Johnson on Twitter, adding "I look forward to working with him and catching up at the G7 next month."