London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

PM thanks northern voters for 'trust' in Tories

PM thanks northern voters for 'trust' in Tories

Boris Johnson visits Sedgefield in north-east England, which has returned its first Conservative MP for 84 years, following the party's general election victory.
Speaking in Tony Blair's old seat of Sedgefield, the PM said he knew "how difficult" that decision can be.

Mr Johnson won a Commons majority of 80, his party's biggest election win for 30 years, by sweeping aside Labour in its traditional heartlands.

In contrast, Labour suffered its worst election result since the 1930s.

Activists chanted "Boris" as Mr Johnson arrived in the County Durham constituency, which returned a Conservative MP on Thursday for the first time in 84 years.

The prime minister said he wanted to thank voters in the "incredible" constituencies in north-east England for placing their trust in the Conservatives.

They had "changed the political landscape" and "changed the Conservative Party for the better", he said.

"Everything that we do, everything that I do as your prime minister, will be devoted to repaying that trust," Mr Johnson added.

"We are the servants now and our job is to serve the people of this country and deliver on our priorities. And our priorities and their priorities are the same."

Leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had done "everything I could" to get Labour into power but expected to stand down "early next year", after a successor has been chosen by the party.

He said the general election had been "taken over by Brexit", the issue on which Mr Johnson campaigned most vociferously - but other figures in the party have disagreed over the reason.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell promised to "learn lessons and we'll listen to people" during the debate over the future of the party and its next leader.

"My fear is that we're in for the long haul now, possibly five years," he added.

Labour's Helen Goodman, who lost the seat of Bishop Auckland to the Conservatives, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "the biggest factor" in Labour's defeat "was obviously the unpopularity of Jeremy Corbyn as the leader".

However, the Labour MP for York Central, Rachel Maskell, said: "We've all got to take responsibility... I don't think apportioning blame to a complex situation in a simplistic way is really the way to approach this."

Mr Johnson is expected to announce a minor government re-shuffle as early as Monday.

Asked whether his promise to be a one nation government meant bringing back Tory politicians like Penny Mordaunt and Jeremy Hunt - who left cabinet in July after Mr Johnson took over - the PM said he was "not going to speculate about personalities".

MPs will then return to Westminster on Tuesday and begin the process of swearing in, before the Queen formally opens Parliament on Thursday with "reduced ceremonial elements".

The prime minister has also vowed to reintroduce his Withdrawal Agreement Bill to Parliament before Christmas, which could happen by the end of next week.

It would see MPs begin the process of considering legislation that would pave the way for the UK to leave the EU on 31 January. Talks about a future trade and security relationship will begin almost immediately.

Former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine, who opposes Brexit and backed the Liberal Democrats in the election, told Today: "We've lost. Brexit is going to happen and we have to live with it."

Asked whether he would support any future campaign to rejoin the EU, he said it would be "20 years or something before the issue is once again raised".

Protests took place at Westminster on Friday following Mr Johnson's election victory.

Demonstrators in Westminster carried signs that read "Defy Tory Rule" and "No to Boris Johnson".

The Metropolitan Police said two people had been arrested in relation to the protests - one person on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and another for suspected affray.

Following the Conservatives' election win, Mr Johnson spoke to SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon on Friday evening and reiterated his opposition to a second independence referendum in Scotland.

The conversation came after the first minister said the PM had "no right" to stand in the way of a second vote following her party's "overwhelming" election performance. The SNP won 48 of Scotland's 59 seats.

Speaking on Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday, cabinet minister Thérèse Coffey insisted there would be no referendum on Scottish independence during the Conservatives' five-year term.

After speaking to Ms Sturgeon, the PM also took phone calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to discuss the next steps on Brexit.

The Conservatives won a total of 365 seats in the election, while Labour finished on 203, the SNP on 48, Liberal Democrats on 11 and the DUP on eight.

Sinn Fein has seven MPs, Plaid Cymru four and Northern Ireland's SDLP two. The Green Party and NI's 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, while holding off the Lib Dem challenge in many seats in the south of England.

Voter turnout overall, on a cold and damp polling day, was 67.3%, which is down by 1.5% on the 2017 total.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are looking for a new leader after Jo Swinson lost her Dunbartonshire East seat to the SNP by 149 votes.

While she admitted her "unapologetic" pro-Remain strategy had not worked, she said she did not regret standing up for her "liberal values" and urged the party to "regroup and refresh" itself in the face of a "nationalist surge" in British politics.

Sir Ed Davey and Baroness Sal Brinton will be acting co-leaders for the party now that Ms Swinson is no longer an MP.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×