Uncharted Brexit waters: UK's Boris Johnson faces 2020 tests

After a remarkable political turnaround, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on verge of taking Britain out of European Union with enthusiastic support of a strong majority in Parliament.

After suffering a string of parliamentary defeats over Brexit — plus igminy of being told by Britain's Supreme Court that his suspension of Parliament last year was unlawful —Johnson cruised to victory in country's Dec. 12 election and finally got his landmark Brexit bill passed before Christmas.

Expectations for coming year are high, fueled by Johnson’s upbeat approach. He promised in his New Year’s mess that resolving Brexit stalemate means Britain “can start a new chapter in history of our country, in which we come toger and move forward united, unleashing ermous potential of British people.”

He pledged to “work my socks off” to unite country. mess was pre-recorded; Johnson spent holiday on Caribbean island of Mustique with girlfriend Carrie Symonds.

Johnson’s predecessor, former Prime Minister resa May, was stung by repeated rebukes from a hostile Parliament. Johnson, however, is in a much stronger position with a healthy Conservative Party majority in House of Commons after election that he called two years early.

When Johnson's tenure at 10 Downing Street began in July with a series of defeats in Parliament, many observers said he likely would have shortest reign of any recent prime minister. Inste, he has won a five-year term and left main opposition Labour Party in near-total disarray.

With Parliament reme in his im, Johnson expects to split Britain off from 27 or EU nations on Jan. 31, becoming first nation ever to leave bloc. n truly difficult part begins as Britain launches contentious tre talks that will define its new relationship with Europe, its key tring partner.

Momentous changes are coming, but immediate impact of Britain’s departure will be blunted because of a yearlong transition period. re will still be unfettered tre between Britain and EU and free movement of people throughout 2020.

Johnson may have a friendly Parliament at home, but he does t have a warm relationship with EU leers, who hold much of lever in tre talks.

One of Johnson's trickier tasks will be holding diverse parts of United Kingdom toger while splitting from Europe.

He faces outright hostility from Scotland’s leer, whose region wanted to stay in EU, and questions about wher Brexit may nudge U.K. member rrn Ireland closer to Republic of Ireland and threaten its status as part of U.K.

re is intense time pressure on EU tre talks, which must conclude by end of 2020 unless both sides agree on an extension by end of June. That is an option Johnson has ruled out, raising once again prospect that Britain might sever all EU ties without a new deal in place. Ecomists say such a “-deal” Brexit would sabot Britain's ecomy.

Most tre talks take much longer than one year to complete. se particular negotiations are unusually fraught because of uncertainty surrounding how tre between rrn Ireland and Ireland will be governed once U.K. is longer part of EU.

re have been persistent warnings that imposing new tre barriers and tariffs could jeopardize gains brought about by rrn Ireland's 1998 Good Friday peace deal and rekindle violence re that has been largely dormant for two deces.

Brexit may nudge rrn Ireland toward uniting with Ireland by keeping rrn Ireland closely bound to Ireland in tre terms and imposing new paperwork that would slow tre between rrn Ireland and mainland Britain.

Johnson also faces a Brexit-fueled confrontation with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that poses ar threat to U.K.'s unity. Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party are lobbying hard for a second independence referendum on wher Scotland should remain in U.K. or strike its own path as an independent country.

Sturgeon argues that since Scottish voters rejected Brexit in 2016 referendum Scotland is being “dragged out of EU against its will” and should be given chance to opt for independence, even though prospect was voted down in 2014.

Johnson says his government will t authorize ar vote on Scottish independence, but Sturgeon plans to press issue in coming year, capitalizing on her party’s strong performance in December election. independence-minded SNP won 48 seats in House of Commons, a gain of 13 legislators.

Johnson’s larger-than-expected margin of victory and his Conservatives’ strong performance in tritional working-class Labour Party strongholds in rrn and central England give him a chance to consolidate power. Conservatives w have 365 seats in 650-seat Parliament to Labour's 202.

It is t clear yet wher Johnson will navigate a shift to center, patching toger a deal that keeps EU tring relationship as open as possible, or wher he will continue to court Conservatives' hard-Brexit wing, which is rey for an abrupt rupture with Europe.

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