As campaigning for the next UK general election begins, Ahmer Tirmzi, Investment Strategist at Seven Investment Management, gives a brief summary of thoughts on the results of the 2019 iteration that came in overnight.

"While some issues were decided last night, huge uncertainties remain, and investors are faced with a dilemma," Tirmzi writes. "Instead of an anti-business Labour-led government with one pro-business policy, we have a business-friendly Conservative government with one big anti-business policy.

"The pound jumped around 2 percent overnight suggesting markets view the election as positive for the UK economy, but at $1.34 they still think resolution is far away.

"Ultimately, only one plot mattered: the ‘Red Wall'. How successful the Conservative message of ‘Get Brexit Done' would cut through to Labour's traditional working class industrial heartlands ultimately decided this election."

What happens next?

"We have a Conservative government with some business-friendly policies and one big anti-business policy – Brexit. Most likely, the UK will enter into a transition period once Parliament passes the withdrawal agreement next week. This will last until the end of 2020. If the UK can't agree on a trade deal by the end of next year, it risks crashing out of the transition arrangements with a No Deal unless it requests an extension."

"Is the ‘oven-ready' Brexit deal the one that Boris Johnson will decide to go with? With such a large majority, it may be possible for him to sideline the European Research Group, which is pushing for a hard Brexit, and go for something softer, more manageable and positive for the economy. This might explain why the pound jumped on the election news."

"This election feels meaningful. That's how politicians win votes – by insisting that this is the election that really matters. In truth, Brexit-related economic uncertainty is set to continue, just in a different guise."

How do I enable cookies in my browser?

Internet Explorer
1. Click the Tools button (or press ALT and T on the keyboard), and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the Privacy tab
3. Move the slider away from 'Block all cookies' to a setting you're comfortable with.

Firefox
1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Tools menu and select Options...
2. Select the Privacy panel.
3. Set Firefox will: to Use custom settings for history.
4. Make sure Accept cookies from sites is selected.

Safari Browser
1. Click Safari icon in Menu Bar
2. Click Preferences (gear icon)
3. Click Security icon
4. Accept cookies: select Radio button "only from sites I visit"

Chrome
1. Click the menu icon to the right of the address bar (looks like 3 lines)
2. Click Settings
3. Click the "Show advanced settings" tab at the bottom
4. Click the "Content settings..." button in the Privacy section
5. At the top under Cookies make sure it is set to "Allow local data to be set (recommended)"

Opera
1. Click the red O button in the upper left hand corner
2. Select Settings -> Preferences
3. Select the Advanced Tab
4. Select Cookies in the list on the left side
5. Set it to "Accept cookies" or "Accept cookies only from the sites I visit"
6. Click OK

As campaigning for the next UK general election begins, Ahmer Tirmzi, Investment Strategist at Seven Investment Management, gives a brief summary of thoughts on the results of the 2019 iteration that came in overnight.

"While some issues were decided last night, huge uncertainties remain, and investors are faced with a dilemma," Tirmzi writes. "Instead of an anti-business Labour-led government with one pro-business policy, we have a business-friendly Conservative government with one big anti-business policy.

"The pound jumped around 2 percent overnight suggesting markets view the election as positive for the UK economy, but at $1.34 they still think resolution is far away.

"Ultimately, only one plot mattered: the ‘Red Wall'. How successful the Conservative message of ‘Get Brexit Done' would cut through to Labour's traditional working class industrial heartlands ultimately decided this election."

What happens next?

"We have a Conservative government with some business-friendly policies and one big anti-business policy – Brexit. Most likely, the UK will enter into a transition period once Parliament passes the withdrawal agreement next week. This will last until the end of 2020. If the UK can't agree on a trade deal by the end of next year, it risks crashing out of the transition arrangements with a No Deal unless it requests an extension."

"Is the ‘oven-ready' Brexit deal the one that Boris Johnson will decide to go with? With such a large majority, it may be possible for him to sideline the European Research Group, which is pushing for a hard Brexit, and go for something softer, more manageable and positive for the economy. This might explain why the pound jumped on the election news."

"This election feels meaningful. That's how politicians win votes – by insisting that this is the election that really matters. In truth, Brexit-related economic uncertainty is set to continue, just in a different guise."