The Conservative Party of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to secure a majority in the House of Commons tomorrow in the elections. This is predicted by the latest YouGov opinion poll. However, Johnson is far from certain of his victory.
The Conservatives are expected to win 339 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. This is an increase compared to the 2017 elections (when former party leader Theresa May unexpectedly lost), but less than the pollster had previously predicted. At the end of November, Johnson was projected to have 359 seats.
The opposition Labour Party would end up with 231 seats, which is 12 fewer than in 2017. The Scottish National Party (SNP) would grow by 6 seats to 41, and the Liberal Democrats would secure 15 seats. Most analysts anticipate a comfortable majority for the Conservatives.
YouGov's prediction is very close due to the British constituency system. The difference between having a majority or not is only 14 Conservative seats. As a result, the potential loss of twelve seats by Labour is painful: if Jeremy Corbyn had maintained his party at 'normal strength,' Johnson would have no majority, and a center-left coalition could be a possibility.
"This couldn't be more exciting; it could be very close," says Johnson himself. According to the British Prime Minister, the consequences would then be negative. "I'm only telling everyone that the risk is real that tomorrow we will return to a parliament without any party holding an absolute majority," the Prime Minister stated. He foresees, among other issues, further delays in decision-making for his country.
The British go to the polls tomorrow after Parliament refused to vote on the Brexit deal that Johnson had agreed upon with the European Union. Since the 2016 referendum, British politics has been fully captivated by the end of EU membership. Two governments – that of David Cameron and his successor Theresa May – did not survive the planned departure from the EU. Current Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes for a different outcome and says that with his new majority, the UK will leave the EU at the end of January.