Page 8 - AT

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 13 december 2019

UK exit poll suggests majority for Johnson’s Conservatives

By DANICA KIRKA a promise to “Get Brexit
MIKE CORDER done” by getting Parlia-
JILL LAWLESS ment to ratify his “oven-
Associated Press ready” divorce deal with
LONDON (AP) — An exit the EU and take Britain out
poll in Britain’s election pro- of the bloc as scheduled
jected Thursday that Prime on Jan. 31.
Minister Boris Johnson’s The Conservatives focused
Conservative Party would much of their energy on try-
likely win a solid majority of ing to win in a “red wall” of
seats in Parliament, a deci- working-class towns in cen-
sive outcome that should tral and northern England
allow Johnson to fulfill his that have elected Labour
plan to take the U.K. out of lawmakers for decades but
the European Union next also voted strongly in 2016
month. to leave the EU. That effort
The survey, released just got a boost when the Brexit
after polls closed, pre- Party led by Nigel Farage
dicted the Conservatives decided at the last minute
would get 368 of the 650 not to contest 317 Conser-
House of Commons seats vative-held seats to avoid
and the Labour Party 191. splitting the pro-Brexit vote.
That would be the biggest Labour, which is largely but
Tory majority for several ambiguously pro-EU, faced
decades, and a major set- The results of an exit poll are projected onto the outside of Broadcasting House in London, just after competition for anti-Brexit
back for Labour. voting closed for the 2019 General Election, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. voters from the centrist Lib-
Based on interviews with Associated Press eral Democrats, Scottish
voters leaving 144 polling and Welsh nationalist par-
stations across the country, Liberal Democrats. years ahead of schedule. cess and ease, at least in ties, and the Greens.
the poll is conducted for a Ballots are being counted, He said that if the Conser- the short term, some of the On Brexit, the opposition
consortium of U.K. broad- with official results expect- vatives won a majority, he uncertainty that has cor- party said it would nego-
casters and is regarded as ed early Friday. would get Parliament to roded business confidence tiate a new divorce deal
a reliable, though not ex- A decisive Conservative ratify his Brexit divorce deal since the 2016 vote. with the EU and then offer
act, indicator of the likely win would vindicate John- and take the U.K. out of the A Labour drubbing would voters the choice of leav-
result. The poll also projects son’s decision to press for EU by the current Jan. 31 raise questions over the fu- ing the 28-nation bloc on
55 seats for the Scottish Na- Thursday’s early election, deadline. ture of Labour leader Jer- those terms or remaining.
tional Party and 13 for the which was held nearly two That would fulfill the deci- emy Corbyn, who will have But on the whole Labour
sion of British voters in 2016 led his left-of-center party tried to focus the cam-
to leave the EU, three and to two electoral defeats paign away from Brexit
a half years after the divi- since 2017. and onto its radical do-
sive referendum result. It “Certainty this exit poll is a mestic agenda, vowing
would start a new phase of devastating blow,” said La- to tax the rich, nationalize
negotiations on future rela- bour trade spokesman Bar- industries such as railroads
tions between Britain and ry Gardiner. “It’s a deeply and water companies and
the 27 remaining EU mem- depressing result.” give everyone in the coun-
bers. Many voters casting bal- try free internet access. It
Johnson did not mention lots on Thursday hoped the campaigned heavily on
the exit poll as he thanked election might finally find a the future of the National
voters in a tweet. “Thank way out of the Brexit stale- Health Service, a deeply
you to everyone across mate in this deeply divided respected institution that
our great country who nation. Opinion polls had has struggled to meet rising
voted, who volunteered, given the Conservatives a demand after nine years of
who stood as candidate,” steady lead, but the result austerity under Conserva-
he said. “We live in the was considered hard to tive-led governments.
greatest democracy in the predict, because the issue One of the campaign’s
world.” of Brexit cuts across tradi- defining images was a
Conservative Party chair- tional party loyalties. photo of a sick 4-year-old
man James Cleverly said Three and a half years af- boy sleeping on a hospi-
he was cautious about the ter the U.K. voted by 52%- tal floor because no beds
poll, but that if substantiat- 48% to leave the EU, Britons were available. Johnson’s
ed it would give the party remain split over wheth- initial failure to even look at
“a big majority” that could er to leave the 28-na- the photo in an on-camera
be used to “get Brexit tion bloc, and lawmakers interview put him on the
done.” have proved incapable defensive, portraying him
The pound surged on the of agreeing on departure as being insensitive to the
exit poll’s forecast, jumping terms. child’s plight. The photo
over two cents against the Johnson pushed for the swept across social media
dollar, to $1.3445, the high- early election — Britain’s like a firestorm, injecting
est in more than a year and first December vote since an explosive jolt into the
a half. Many Investors hope 1923 — to try to break the political war of informa-
a Conservative win would political logjam. He cam- tion in the final days of the
speed up the Brexit pro- paigned relentlessly on campaign.q