For Britain's conservatives, the result of the parliamentary election on Thursday was a landslide victory and their best result since 1987: the Labor and Liberal Tories chased dozen times.
Above all, the Tories overturned the so-called red wall, i.e. the circles that were previously firmly in the hands of Labor (details in the election graphics).
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In these electoral districts, Johnson promised to turn a kind of winning round at the weekend.
A little further north, however, Johnson's problems begin: In Scotland, the Tories lost several mandates. Six constituencies north of the border fell to the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Party leader Nicola Sturgeon acted accordingly with courage: she now has a "renewed and strengthened mandate" to hold a new independence vote after her regional party won 48 of the 59 Scottish parliamentary seats, 13 more than in 2017.
On the night of Friday, she also said: "Firstly, Boris Johnson has no right to take Scotland out of the EU and secondly, no right to prevent the Scottish people from determining their own future." The Scottish Parliament would soon provide details on how a new referendum could be legally certain.
General election in the UK
All constituencies counted (seats in parliament)
NI = Northern Ireland; Source: BBC
Election winner Johnson, however, promised on Friday to continue protecting Britain's unity. He ruled out a new independence referendum for the Scots. The prime minister is still against it, and the Scots also see it, said a government spokesman on Friday evening.
In 2014 the Scots had voted in a first independence vote with 55 to 45 percent against a detachment from the United Kingdom. The result was "crucial and should be respected," said 10 Downing Street.
A lot has happened since then. In the Brexit referendum in 2016, a clear majority of the Scots favored remaining in the EU. Nothing has changed in this sentiment, so a new independence referendum could have a better chance of success given the upcoming Brexit.
Sturgeon must use Article 30 of the Scotland Act for an independence referendum in order to be legally binding. However, the power would have to be delegated to the regional parliament in London. Still stunned by the success, Sturgeon said, "It is up to the Scottish Parliament, not a Westminster government, to tell if and when there should be a new referendum." As the leader of a party beaten in Scotland, Johnson has no right to stand in the way.
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