The following editorial appeared in Saturday’s Japan News-Yomiuri:

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The door has opened wide for Britain to leave the European Union at the end of January next year. It can be said that a verdict has been reached that will have a significant impact on the future of Britain and Europe.

Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has secured significantly more seats and won a single-party majority in the House of Commons election, in which the most contentious issue was the country’s withdrawal from the EU. Johnson declared his party’s victory, saying the party now had a “powerful new mandate” to deliver Brexit.

The draft withdrawal agreement reached between Britain and the EU is expected to get through Parliament. After Britain leaves the EU, their current relationship will remain during a transition period through December next year. At the very least, Britain must avert a no-deal Brexit, the worst-case scenario.

Public frustration over the prolonged Brexit uncertainty and political turmoil were behind the Conservative Party’s victory. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, votes to “Leave” outnumbered votes to “Remain.” But the Conservative Party, which led a minority administration, failed to unify even its own members, and the Brexit deadline was extended three times.

By repeating the simple and clear message, “Let’s get Brexit done” to move Britain forward, Johnson turned voters’ frustration into votes for his party.

Britain’s future direction has now become clear, but many issues remain. It is widely viewed that Brexit will hamper the British economy in the short term. From an economic point of view, staying in the EU remains the rational option for Britain.

Britain needs to strike a free trade agreement with the EU to minimize the negative impacts of Brexit. Is it possible to conclude negotiations within the transition period of less than a year? If necessary, Britain should consider extending the deadline.

The Labour Party, the largest opposition party, suffered a crushing defeat, probably because it failed to show a clear stance on Brexit, only calling for a second referendum. The party’s socialist-leaning pledges, such as the nationalization of railways, prompted middle-class voters to shy away.

British society has been split between Brexiteers in favor of the divorce and anti-Brexiteers. Opinion surveys indicate that the competition between the two sides was close.

The results of the latest election were largely due to the Labour Party’s failure to secure constituencies in which votes of anti-Brexiteers were split among Labour and small parties under the British Parliament’s single-seat constituency system. Johnson must promote national reconciliation by healing the divisions among the British public.

The departure of one of the leading countries in the EU will deal a blow to the bloc. How can the EU maintain its presence in the international community? It needs a strategy.

Japan also needs to take measures in light of Britain’s withdrawal from the Japan-EU economic partnership agreement. Britain’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership is likely to be a viable option.

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