Johnson wins Brexit mandate

With nearly all the votes counted, Britain’s Conservative Party won 364 of 650 parliamentary seats in Thursday’s general election. The solid victory over the Labour Party makes Prime Minister Boris Johnson the most electorally successful Tory leader since Margaret Thatcher.

What does the win mean for Brexit? The victory gives Johnson the backing to push ahead with his plan to get Britain out of the European Union by the Jan. 31, 2020, deadline. But he still faces a tough road. Johnson will present his new Brexit plan to Parliament shortly after the new lawmakers are sworn in next week. If his proposal succeeds, Britain will enter a transition period to finalize a trade agreement with the EU.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report about the historic religious conflict at the heart of the Brexit debate.