United Kingdom general election, 12 December 2019

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Publication Date 2019
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Summary:

Reports, analyses and information relating to the general election held in the United Kingdom in December 2019.

Further information:

The election was triggered in the context of the debate regarding the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. A fragmented House of Commons when it comes to Brexit met a cabinet without a parliamentary majority and damaged by confrontation with the Parliament. The difficulties facing the Prime Minister in moving forward with his version of Brexit, and the overall confusion over a clear path towards the exit from the European Union, led to the understanding that a general election would be the best option in an attempt to break the deadlock.

The governing Conservative Party was widely expected to win the election according to the pre-election polls, but it was not clear whether they would be able to secure a parliamentary majority. Nigel Farage - the leader of the Brexit Party - announced on 3 November he did not intend to run as a candidate in the election. On 11 November, Mr Farage further announced that his party would not put forward candidates in constituencies held by the Conservatives, in a bid to secure a parliamentary majority favouring a harder form of Brexit.

Electoral Manifestos (updated as published):

The electoral campaign was dominated by the issue of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), the country's National Health Service (NHS) and questions relating to integrity, trust and intolerance. The election results largely confirmed the pre-electoral polls - the Conservative Party gathered a substantial parliamentary majority, taking over traditional Labour seats in a number of working-class, Leave-voting areas. The Labour Party achieved one of its worst electoral results in decades. The Scottish National Party (SNP) secured most of the seats from Scotland. A number of national leaders from across the European Union expressed relief for the 'clarity' provided by the decisive Conservative victory in the context of Brexit.

Related Links
Commentary and Analysis
Wikipedia: 2019 United Kingdom general election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_United_Kingdom_general_election
BBC News: General election 2019: A really simple guide https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49826655
The Guardian: UK general election 2019 poll tracker https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/oct/31/uk-general-election-2019-poll-tracker
Politico: Poll of Polls for UK 2019 General Election https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/
IFES Election Guide: Election for British House of Commons http://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3404/
Institute for Government: General Election 2019 https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/general-election-2019
UK in a Changing Europe: General Election https://ukandeu.ac.uk/general-election/
The Conversation: UK Election 2019 https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/uk-election-2019-75714
Reuters, 30/10/2019: UK's winter election - What's in it for markets? https://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN1X921I
Euro|topics, October 2019: What will decide the UK's snap election? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/229530/
Deutsche Welle, 01/11/2019: Will the UK's snap election get Brexit done? https://p.dw.com/p/3SKXa
Chatham House: Expert Comment, 07/11/2019: Why Britain’s 2019 Election Is Its Most Unpredictable in Recent History https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/why-britain-s-2019-election-its-most-unpredictable-recent-history
Politico, 07/11/2019: How to watch the UK election like a pro https://www.politico.eu/article/how-to-watch-the-uk-election-like-a-pro/
Euto|topics, November 2019: Labour wants sweeping reforms in UK https://www.eurotopics.net/en/230897/
Spiegel Online International, 06/12/2019: Ground Zero of the Brexit Class War https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/northern-england-is-ground-zero-of-the-brexit-conflict-a-1299846.html
Cardiff University: Wales Governance Centre: Hey Big Spender? Implications of the UK General Election 2019 for the Welsh Government budget https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1736768/Manifesto_analysis_v3.pdf
Politico, 12/12/2019: How the BBC lost the election https://www.politico.eu/article/bbc-uk-election-criticism-analysis/
BBC News, 13/12/2019: What's behind the Conservative victory? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50774061
Politico, 13/12/2019: What Boris Johnson’s victory means for Brexit https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-general-election-2019-what-boris-johnsons-victory-means-for-brexit/
The Conversation, 13/12/2019: Boris Johnson’s big election victory: what it means for the UK and Brexit https://theconversation.com/boris-johnsons-big-election-victory-what-it-means-for-the-uk-and-brexit-128850
Euro|topics, December 2019: What does Johnson's victory mean for Europe? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/232126/
Euro|topics, December 2019: Why the disastrous losses for Labour? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/232219/

News
BBC News: Election 2019 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2019
The Guardian: General election 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/general-election-2019
ITV News: General Election 2019 https://www.itv.com/news/topic/general-election-2019/
Sky News: General Election 2019 https://news.sky.com/topic/general-election-2019-8359
Politico: UK election 2019 https://www.politico.eu/tag/u-k-election-2019/
Reuters, 03/11/2019: Trump wades again into UK politics, tells Johnson, Farage to unite https://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN1XD0H8
Deutsche Welle, 03/11/2019: Brexit leader Nigel Farage rules out UK election bid https://p.dw.com/p/3SOvN
Reuters, 03/11/2019: Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage will not run in UK election https://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN1XD05Y
EurActiv, 20/11/2019: In testy leadership debate, UK PM Johnson promises quick Brexit https://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/in-testy-leadership-debate-uk-pm-johnson-promises-quick-brexit/
Euronews, 20/11/2019: Corbyn and Johnson clash over Brexit in first TV debate https://www.euronews.com/2019/11/19/corbyn-and-johnson-go-head-to-head-in-first-tv-debate-ahead-of-elections
VOA News, 20/11/2019: British Voters Unimpressed as Johnson, Corbyn Clash in TV Debate https://www.voanews.com/europe/british-voters-unimpressed-johnson-corbyn-clash-tv-debate
Deutsche Welle, 13/12/2019: UK election: EU leaders focus on Brexit after Johnson win https://p.dw.com/p/3Uj6D
The Guardian, 13/12/2019: Boris Johnson leads Tories to historic general election win https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/13/boris-johnson-leads-tories-historic-general-election-win
EurActiv, 13/12/2019: Brexit confirmed as Johnson secures decisive election win https://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/brexit-confirmed-as-johnson-secures-decisive-election-win/

Official
UK Electoral Commission https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/
OSCE: ODIHR: United Kingdom: Early General Elections, 12 December 2019 https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/uk/440537

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