On cusp of big election win, Johnson claims historic mandate for Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on the cusp of a commanding election victory on Friday that he cast as a historic mandate to deliver Brexit on Jan. 31, Britain’s most significant geopolitical move in 70 years.

For Johnson, whose 20-week tenure in power has been marked by chaotic scenes in parliament and stark division on the streets over Britain’s tortuous departure from the European Union, the victory in Thursday’s contest is vindication.

Educated at the country’s most elite school and recognizable by his bombastic style, the 55-year-old must not only deliver Brexit but also convince Britons that the contentious divorce, which would lead to lengthy trade talks, is worth it.

A landslide Conservative win would mark the ultimate failure of opponents of Brexit who plotted to thwart a 2016 referendum vote through legislative combat in parliament and prompted some of the biggest protests in recent British history.

An exit poll showed the Conservatives winning a landslide 368 seats, more than enough for a comfortable majority in the 650-seat parliament and the biggest Conservative national election win since Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 triumph.

“I think this will turn out to be a historic election that gives us now, in this new government, the chance to respect the democratic will of the British people,” Johnson said after winning his seat of Uxbridge.

Conservatives' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks after winning his seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the counting centre in Britain's general election in Uxbridge, Britain, December 13, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville[/caption]