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Britain's Johnson sets off on post-election Brexit mission

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AFP London
Last Updated : Dec 16 2019 | 9:25 AM IST

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil a new government Monday that wields a sweeping mandate to take Britain out of the European Union after years of acrimonious debate.

Johnson's simple promise to "get Brexit done" resonated in a snap election Thursday that became a re-run of Britain's 2016 EU membership referendum.

A narrow majority had then opted to quit the European project. UK leaders have been arguing about how -- or even whether -- to cut ties with the other 27 nations in the bloc ever since.

The arguments were settled when Johnson's Conservative party secured its biggest majority in the House of Commons since the heyday of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The main opposition Labour party was relegated to its worst defeat since before World War II.

Parliament will now be free to approve the divorce deal Johnson struck with Brussels so that Britain can leave without any more delays on January 31.

"The first piece of legislation new MPs will vote on will be the (EU-UK) Withdrawal Agreement Bill," a government source said. "We must repay the public's trust by getting Brexit done."

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First Published: Dec 16 2019 | 9:25 AM IST

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