Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson congratulating him on his victory at the United Kingdom general elections on 12 December 2019.
According to BBC report, with about 600 of 650 seats declared, Johnson’s Conservatives secured the 326 seats required for a majority in the House of Commons, gaining 43 seats, while Labour lost 55 seats to 197 seats.
Exit polls and partial results stated that the number represents the biggest majority the Tories have held since Margaret Thatcher’s win in 1987.
PM Lee expressed his hope for the United Kingdom to be a strong advocate for free trade, multilateralism and a rules-based international order as PM Johnson negotiate his future relations with the European Union and enhance relations with other partners, including in Southeast Asia.
PM Lee also highlighted that the United Kingdom is a trusted and reliable partner of Singapore, hoping to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries in the coming years.
Below is PM Lee’s congratulatory message to PM Johnson:
Dear Prime Minister Johnson,
On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I offer you my warmest congratulations on your decisive election victory.
The British people have given you a strong and clear mandate. As you negotiate your future relations with the European Union and enhance relations with other partners, including in Southeast Asia, I hope that the United Kingdom will continue to be a strong advocate for free trade, multilateralism and a rules-based international order.
The United Kingdom is a trusted and reliable partner of Singapore. Since the launch of the Singapore-UK Partnership for the Future in January 2019, we have developed many initiatives to deepen our partnership, including in areas such as digital government, cyber security, and green finance. We have a substantive agenda together, building on our longstanding ties in defence and security, trade and investments, and education, science and research.
I look forward to working with you to further strengthen our relationship in the coming years. In the meantime, I wish you and your government every success in uniting the United Kingdom and delivering on your priorities, and hope you will find an opportunity to visit Singapore soon.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Hsien Loong
The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
