INSTANT VIEW-Brexiteer Johnson to be Britain's prime minister

Boris Johnson was elected as leader of Britain's governing Conservative Party and the next prime minister on Tuesday, tasked with following through on his "do or die" pledge to deliver Brexit in just over three months time. Here is some reaction to the news:

Leigh Himsworth, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity International: "With Boris Johnson as prime minister, the options facing the UK remain broadly the same: a Withdrawal Agreement similar to that presented by Theresa May; a general election to win a greater majority for the Conservative party or a new referendum. "The outcome will depend on how confident Boris feels in his own political power. His support of the Leave campaign gives him leverage over the right-wing while the bluster may win Labour Leave voters. His personal background may help him retain the Tory heartland. But the key question is whether he will be able to extend his charm over the Channel. "As far as financial markets are concerned, our eyes remain firmly fixed on sterling, which is reacting, almost by the minute, to the deal/no-deal narrative... "We may (also) well look back in a few years' time and regard this period as quite simply one of the best opportunities that we have seen to invest in UK equity markets."

Paul O'Connor, Head of UK-based Multi-Asset Team at Janus Henderson Investors: "The market response has been fairly muted so far, which is not surprising given how widely anticipated this outcome was. The pervasive uncertainty surrounding Brexit has already taken its toll on UK assets and is now somewhat priced in...

"If we look to betting markets as a guide to consensus expectations, we see a no-deal Brexit is a one-in-three chance, with investor dread of this being somewhat offset by the view that there is still a one-in-four chance that Brexit is canceled. "With the economy looking like it is one stumble away from recession, a policy response is needed. A 2019 interest rate cut seems increasingly likely and a Johnson fiscal stimulus a near certainty."

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