'We are going to get Brexit done on October 31': Johnson elected Tory leader
Boris Johnson has been elected the new leader of the Conservative Party after beating out rival and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Mr Johnson will officially become the new British Prime Minister tomorrow.
Mr Johnson was elected by 92,153 to 46,656. He received 66% of the vote on an 87% turnout.
Theresa May will tender her resignation to the British Queen after taking Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons tomorrow afternoon for the final time.
Following the announcement, Mr Johnson gave his victory speech saying that it was an “extraordinary honour and privilege” to be elected Tory leader.
Mr Johnson said that Mr Hunt was a formidable opponent and thanked Theresa May for her service.
He repeated his campaign mantra “deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn”, adding: “And that is what we are going to do.”
“I know some wag who has already pointed out that deliver, unite and defeat was not the perfect acronym for an election campaign since unfortunately it spells dud,” Mr Johnson said.
“But they forgot the final E my friends, E for energise.
And I say to all the doubters, ‘Dude we are going to energise the country, we are going to get Brexit done on October 31, we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities that it will bring in a new spirit of can do’.
“And we are once again going to believe in ourselves and what we can achieve and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity.”
Improved education, infrastructure, more police and full-fibre broadband are among the ways Mr Johnson said this would be achieved.
“We are going to unite this amazing country and we are going to take it forward,” he said.
Following his speech, Mr Johnson thanked his supporters on Twitter.
Thank you all for the incredible honour you have done me. The time for campaigning is over and the time for work begins to unite our country and party, deliver Brexit and defeat Corbyn. I will work flat out to repay your confidence
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 23, 2019
Jeremy Hunt congratulated his opponent saying that he will make a great Prime Minister.
Congratulations @BorisJohnson 4 a campaign well https://t.co/b1rmrIHic6'll be a great PM for our country at this critical moment!Throughout campaign you showed optimism,energy & unbounded confidence in our wonderful country & we need that.All best wishes from the entrepreneur :-)
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 23, 2019
Ms May was among the first to tweet her congratulations to Mr Johnson.
Many congratulations to @BorisJohnson on being elected leader of @Conservatives - we now need to work together to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK and to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government. You will have my full support from the back benches.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) July 23, 2019
Congratulations to @BorisJohnson on becoming Conservative Party Leader. Look forward to discussing our shared objectives of strengthening the Union, delivering Brexit & restoring devolution. pic.twitter.com/P8VV82UXAV
— Arlene Foster DBE PC #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) July 23, 2019
Congratulations @BorisJohnson. Looking forward to continuing our discussions on achieving our shared objectives to advance the Union, deliver Brexit and restore devolved government in NI.
— Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) July 23, 2019
Congratulations @BorisJohnson. Let’s put aside our differences and work together to reverse police & TfL cuts, invest in affordable homes & secure further devolution to London - which you backed as Mayor. But I'll never stop speaking out against the catastrophic threat of Brexit.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) July 23, 2019
1. Congratulations to Boris Johnson on his election as leader of the Conservative Party. Despite our many differences, I will do all I can to develop a way of working with him that respects and protects Scotland’s views and interests.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 23, 2019
Jeremy Corbyn also shared his congratulations to the new Tory leader saying that while he had won the leadership contest, he had not won the support of the country.
Johnson’s No Deal Brexit would mean job cuts, higher prices in the shops, and risk our NHS being sold off to US corporations in a sweetheart deal with Donald Trump.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 23, 2019
The people of our country should decide who becomes the Prime Minister in a General Election.
Michel Barnier also took to Twitter saying that the EU Commission look forward to "working constructively" with Mr Johnson "to achieve an orderly Brexit".
We look forward to working constructively w/ PM @BorisJohnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit. We are ready also to rework the agreed Declaration on a new partnership in line with #EUCO guidelines.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) July 23, 2019
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's chief Brexit co-ordinator, said that the European Parliament's Brexit Steering Group will hold an extraordinary meeting tomorrow in response to Mr Johnson's election.
He said that the meeting with Michel Barnier will be followed by sn official communication.
"Looking forward to defending the interest of all Europeans," said Mr Verhofstadt.
In his victory speech, Mr Johnson said it was not irreconcilable to remain close with the EU and to deliver Brexit, adding: “I think we know that we can do it and that the people of this country are trusting in us to do it and we know that we will do it.”
US President Donald Trump who had thrown his support behind Mr Johnson during his campaign said that Mr Johnson "will be great".
Congratulations to Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He will be great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2019
On Monday, Alan Duncan quit as UK Foreign Office minister in protest at Mr Johnson’s expected victory, predicting a “crisis of government” if he becomes PM.
Just this morning, Anne Milton resigned as British education minister.
Chancellor Philip Hammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke previously gave notice that they would resign rather than serve Mr Johnson.
