Boris Johnson is the new Prime Minister

MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip will replace Theresa May as party leader and Prime Minister

Boris Johnson is the new Prime Minister

Boris Johnson has won the support of the Conservative Party to become the new leader, and the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 

In a convincing win against the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the former mayor of London won 66% of the vote. The turnout among the 159,320 Conservative party members was 87.4%. The vote split was 91,153 to 46,656. 

In his acceptance speech, Mr Johnson reiterated his commitment to delivering Brexit by 31 October with a “new spirit of can-do”.

“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.”

He also stressed the importance of uniting the country and defeating Jeremy Corbyn. 

Mr Johnson takes over leadership at a difficult time for the Conservative Party and the wider political climate. The Conservatives have a thin working parliamentary majority, propped up by the DUP, and this could be further eroded should they lose two by-elections next week. 

Groups are also coalescing to challenge Mr Johnson in Parliament, angered by his suggestions of proroguing Parliament to force a no-deal Brexit. A number of current cabinet ministers, including Chancellor Philip Hammond have said they will resign rather than serve under him - although it is likely that Mr Johnson will be reshuffling the cabinet after he officially becomes Prime Minister of Wednesday afternoon. 

Theresa May will face her final Prime Minister’s questions in the House of Commons tomorrow, before tendering her resignation to the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Mr Johnson will then go to the Palace himself for his position to be confirmed, before giving a speech outside 10 Downing Street. 

Header Image Credit: Andrew Parsons/ i-Images (Flickr)

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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