The 2019 United Kingdom general election occurred on Thursday December 12, 2019. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, leader of the Conservative Party, won in a landslide victory behind his pledge to “get Brexit done.” The Conservatives upped their presence in British Parliament by 47 seats to a total of 364 seats. In response to the Conservative victory, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted his support for a quick post-Brexit trade deal with Britain. Brexit refers to “British Exit,” regarding the movement’s desire to see the United Kingdom leave the European Union. How does this relate to the U.S.?

“U.K.’s elections are important to the United States because the U.K. is one of the U.S.’s largest and most supportive allies when it comes to multinational agreements and foreign affairs,” senior Jared Saef said. “Their leadership is extremely important to us for that reason.” Boris Johnson has a goal of weakening the European Union and pulling closer to the United States. The U.K. is important to the U.S. because of the firm friendship and alliance that exists between the two countries because the U.K. is located in a strategically important position for defending U.S. interests in Europe. 

Not only is the U.K.’s relationship with the United States important, but some people, including junior Matthew Garchik, believe that the American citizens should pay attention to how the polls predict certain victories for the candidates in the upcoming 2020 election. “The U.K. polls predicted the conservatives would get 43% of the parliament seats, and they got 43.6%, and the polls said the labor would get 33%, and they got 32.2%.” Garchik said. “So it shows that us as American citizens should trust what the poll numbers are in the 2020 election.”

As Boris Johnson elects to downgrade Britain’s relationship with the European Union, the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. is becoming more important. Additionally, Brexit could have some serious drawbacks for the U.S., as many American businesses depend on the UK as a gateway into the European market. 

 Not to mention, there is $1 trillion invested in both America and the U.K.’s economies, and over one million British citizens work for American companies in the U.K. and more than 1 million Americans work for British firms in the U.S., which shows how this relationship is providing good jobs for working people in both countries.