Western Michigan University Political Science Professor Gunther Hega says now that Boris Johnson is Britain’s Prime Minister, it’s more likely that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. But Hega, who studies European politics says Johnson faces many challenges.
Johnson was a major proponent of “Brexit,” the referendum to leave the EU that British voters approved in 2016. Hega says that sets him apart from previous prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, even though both them also came from the UK’s conservative party.
Hega says Johnson has some options for getting leaving the European Union at the end of October whether or not an agreement has been reached with the EU. But Hega says calling for early elections to try and increase the conservative majority or trying to work around Parliament carries risk.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May could not get a deal to leave the EU through Parliament, and Hega says Johnson faces the same skepticism among MPs about a so-called “no deal Brexit.”