“Mrs. May probably realises now her strategy of hurting the Labour’s northern heartland was ill-informed and misguided”
LONDON: In one of the most dramatic general elections, Theresa May’s gamble to increase her 12-seat majority failed spectacularly, plunging the UK’s strategy for negotiating Brexit in the balance after she lost her mandate.
The overall increase in the Conservative vote was meagre compared to Labour’s, with exit polls revealing that constituencies with large numbers of graduates were flocking away from May towards the centre-left.
Still, Mrs. May has no intention of resigning, although she probably realises her strategy of hurting the Labour’s northern heartland was ill-informed and misguided.
Because of her, Labour recorded a double-digit surge in its vote share across a majority of English regions, including the South East (Canterbury, Portsmouth, Reading and Brighton) and South West (gains in Bristol, Plymouth and Stroud).
Because of her also, Jeremy Corbyn’s team is much better positioned to overtake the Conservatives at the next general election.
And what happens next?
Strictly speaking, under the terms of the Fixed Terms Parliament Act, the next election is five years away in 2022. That seems highly unlikely given the new electoral arithmetic.
Mrs May’s personal future muddies the waters, while Mr Corbyn’s fate now lies in his own hands and not those of his colleagues in the parliamentary party that tried to oust him.
Truly, the 2017 General Election has created great uncertainty at the heart of Government. Where the UK goes from here is anyone’s guess.
Adapted from: Sky news
