General election 2019: Let the healing begin, urges victorious PM

Boris Johnson has said he hopes his party’s “extraordinary” election win will bring “closure” to the Brexit debate and “let the healing begin”.

Speaking in Downing Street, he said he would seek to repay the trust placed in him by Labour supporters who had voted Conservative for the first time.

He said he would not ignore those who opposed Brexit as he builds with Europe a partnership “of sovereign equals”.

The Tories have won a Commons majority of 80, the party’s largest since 1987.

The Conservatives’ victory in the 650th and final contest of the election – the seat of St Ives, in Cornwall – took their total number of MPs up to 365 MPs. Labour finished on 203, the SNP 48, Liberal Democrats 11 and the DUP eight.

Sinn Fein has seven MPs, Plaid Cymru four and the SDLP has two. The Green Party and Alliance Party have one each.

The Brexit Party – which triumphed in the summer’s European Parliament elections – failed to win any Westminster seats.

The Conservatives swept aside Labour in its traditional heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England and picked up seats across Wales.

Speaking outside No 10, Mr Johnson thanked lifelong Labour supporters who deserted Jeremy Corbyn’s party and turned to the Conservatives, saying he would fulfil his pledge to take the UK out of the EU on 31 January.

“I say thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me and we will work round the clock to repay your trust and to deliver on your priorities with a Parliament that works for you”.

Mr Johnson also addressed those who did not vote for the Conservatives and still want to remain in the EU: “We in this One Nation Conservative government will never ignore your good and positive feelings of warmth and sympathy towards the other nations of Europe”.

He said the country, “deserves a break from wrangling, a break from politics and a permanent break from talking about Brexit”.

“I urge everyone to find closure and to let the healing begin.”

He said he would use his new authority to bring the country together and “level up” opportunities, while he said he recognised that the NHS remained the “overwhelming priority” of the British people.

The BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM’s appeal for unity marked a striking change in tone to when he first became prime minister in July.