From the Tory landslide to what Labour must do now and a look at how the “red wall” crumbled, here is your recap from our general election coverage.
‘Let the healing begin’
PM pledges to prioritise the NHS and unite the country after historic victory
Boris Johnson said he wanted to “let the healing begin” over Brexit as he promised to prioritise the NHS. Speaking outside Downing Street after winning the largest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher, the PM’s promise came as health service bosses warned the NHS was “on its knees”.
How it unfolded
Listen in on the Guardian newsroom with Anushka Asthana
Photograph: Ollie Millington/Getty Images
The implications of Johnson’s thumping majority are analysed in the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast. Among its guests is the former leader of the Conservatives in Scotland Ruth Davidson, who speaks of her hopes that he does not repeat the “narrow-casting” approach he took the during the leave campaign.
Sturgeon demands independence vote
SNP landslide emboldens leader
Nicola Sturgeon is urging Boris Johnson to let Scotland hold a new independence referendum following the Scottish National party’s electoral triumph. The first minister has said the mandate for a second independence poll has been “strengthened” after winning 47 of the nation’s 59 Westminster seats, reports the Guardian’s Scotland editor, Severin Carrell.
What Labour must do
Gary Younge on the complex challenge facing the party
Labour’s historic defeat cannot simply be boiled down to Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn or the media, writes Gary Younge. Voters did not abandon Labour for centre ground – but instead the far-right or the social democratic alternative in Scotland. The party will need to get to the complex truth behind why it lost if it is to ever win again.
Labour’s red wall crumbles
Inside the party’s heartlands that turned blue
Bolsover, Burnley, Derby North, Don Valley and North West Durham – just some of the places where working-class voters deserted Labour to elect Tory MPs. John Harris and John Domokos found out why people abandoned long-held loyalty to vote Conservative.
What went wrong for Labour nationwide
How clashing egos and ‘policy incontinence’ led to campaign disaster
Labour insiders shed light on a lack of strategic focus, leadership confusion, and how Corbyn had all but given up by the final week of a bruising campaign. As the results rolled in on Thursday night, many defeated Labour candidates pointed the finger at his unpopularity on the doorstep. Heather Stewart reports on the failings and recriminations that will shape the battle for Labour’s future.
Let’s get Brexit done, says EU
Bloc calls for swift ratification of withdrawal agreement
EU leaders have called for the quick ratification of Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement and are cautiously confident he will pivot back to a close economic relationship with the bloc. Daniel Boffey reports on the reaction in Brussels as leaders wait to see which incarnation of the prime minister will emerge from Downing Street.
Kind of blue
UK tries to come to terms with Tory election victory
Britain awoke on Friday morning to an electoral map that had turned an emphatic shade of Tory blue. Esther Addley on a nation that remains divided, as Johnson calls for reconciliation and Nicola Sturgeon demands a vote on Scottish independence.
