Conservative Party Members on Tuesday elected Boris Johnson to replace outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May.
As head of the Conservative Party, Johnson will run a minority government with help from the Northern Irish Party.
“We know the mantra of the campaign that has just gone by, it is deliver Brexit, unite the country, and defeat Jeremy Corbyn, and that is what we are going to do,” said Johnson, who won the election with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
Johnson, a Trump ally, assumes leadership as the UK continues to struggle with its decision to leave the EU and how best to complete the divorce. Despite more than two years of negotiations, May and the EU failed to produce a proposal on which lawmakers could agree.
Johnson, who led the “Vote Leave” campaign, believes he can get the EU to renegotiate. If not, he will leave the bloc on the scheduled date of October 31st with or without an exit deal (the original exit date had been scheduled for March 28th).
Economists have warned that a no-deal Brexit could plunge the UK into a recession, and several Conservatives have already refused to serve under Johnson based on his promise to leave the bloc on Halloween “come what may.”
The British pound dropped 0.3% on Tuesday.
Boris Johnson served as MP for Henly for 8 years before taking a break from Parliament to serve as Mayor of London (2008-2016). He was elected MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2015.
Johnson was appointed Foreign Secretary in 2016. He resigned from the position in July 2018 over disagreements related to Brexit.
In July 2019, he became leader of the Conservative Party.