Election 2019: POLIS experts' commentary and interviews

Dr Victoria Honeyman and PhD Researcher Ryan Swift share their political expertise before and after election day, commenting on the potential impacts of the results.

Ahead of the election Ryan Swift was interviewed as part of Look North’s general election coverage where he addressed the key issues surrounding the election in addition to Brexit which, as expected, dominated election discussions. In the interview Ryan also discussed the impact and success of parties’ last minute campaigning efforts, with a focus on the Yorkshire region.

As the results started to come in last night, Ryan also featured on BBC Radio Leeds along with other guests, providing commentary on the election outcomes. Dr Honeyman was also interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC London to discuss the election results as they came in. The key moment of the night for Dr Honeyman was the announcement of the exit poll. Although a Conservative majority was anticipated, Dr Honeyman was surprised at a majority of 87 and proceeded to analyse the election in more detail during the interviews.

In light of the results, Dr Honeyman also considers Britain’s place in the world in an article featured on The Conversation, commenting that in the process of removing Britain from the EU, “Britain will have to decide what pay-offs it is willing to make” if it is to secure any trade deals. She also comments that the Prime Minister is not the only risk to Britain’s global position and reputation, but “the biggest risk is Britain’s global weakness and its desire to stand alone in the world.”

Both Dr Honeyman and Ryan Swift concluded that this election has divided voters across the UK and both are interested to see what lies ahead for the Conservative government.