As determined by a ballot of party members, Boris Johnson has been elected head of the Conservative Party and has become the new Prime Minister of the UK.
Mr Johnson beat Jeremy Hunt comfortably, gaining 92, 153 votes to his opponent’s 46, 656. He also won the majority 67% of votes from the cabinet.
Mr Hunt declared his disappointment at not winning the race for candidacy as Prime Minister. However, he said he was sure his rival would do a “great job.” Mr Hunt himself had been a remain voter in the Brexit referendum, which he declared as a hurdle during his campaign.
The ex-London Mayor said he has 3 top priorities to fulfil during his time as Prime Minister. In his victory speech, he declared that these would be to: “deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn“.
Speaking at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, he stated: “We are going to energise the country.
“We are going to get Brexit done on 31 October and take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring with a new spirit of can do… We are once again going to believe in ourselves, and like some slumbering giant, we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity.”
Mr Johnson’s stepping up as Prime Minister follows Theresa May’s resignation, who he formerly worked under as Foreign Secretary until he resigned over her Brexit Policy. Nevertheless, he appraised her for her time as PM and Tory leader, declaring it had been a “privilege” to be a part of her cabinet. In turn, she wished him her full support from the sidelines.
American President Donald Trump also wished Mr Johnson the best following his win. He spoke at an event in Washington, saying: “a really good man is going to be the prime minister of the UK now,” and Mr Johnson would “get it (Brexit) done.”
The President also added: “They call him Britain Trump. That’s a good thing.”
However, others have responded to Mr Johnson’s victory with bitter disappointment and voiced their concerns.
Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party responded to the result by writing a twitter post that said Mr Johnson had “won the support of fewer than 100,000 unrepresentative Conservative Party members”. He argued that the UK general public should “decide who becomes prime Minister”, not voting from within Parliament itself.
Mr Johnson’s promotion to UK PM also came with the resignation of no-deal Brexit opponent David Guake from his position as Justice Secretary. Others to leave their roles in Parliament were Culture Minister Margot James, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan. They all admitted to de-aligning with Mr Johnson’s Brexit strategy too greatly to work with him.
Manisha Bhanot
