The Prime Minister has visited the north of the England where the Conservative Party won several seats for the first time in decades.

Boris Johnson secured an 80-seat majority after decimating the traditional Labour heartlands, where many people voted Tory for the very first time.

Some areas including Bishop Auckland in the North East had never elected a Conservative MP before Thursday’s General Election.

Speaking in Tony Blair’s old constituency of Sedgefield, County Durham, he expressed his gratitude to voters for ‘changing the political landscape’.

He said: ‘I want to thank you, all of you, for the trust that you have placed in us in the Conservative Party and in me, and I know how difficult it was, it can be to make that kind of decision.

‘And I can imagine people’s pencil’s hovering over the ballot paper and wavering before coming down for us and the Conservatives, and I know that people may have been breaking the voting habits of generations to vote for us.

‘And I want the people of the North East to know that we in the Conservative Party and I will repay your trust – and everything that we do, everything that I do as your Prime Minister, will be devoted to repaying that trust.’

He told them he was committed to spreading opportunity across the country, including in areas that feel left behind London and the south east.

Johnson added: ‘We believe that talent is evenly distributed throughout our country but opportunity is unfairly distributed.

‘We are going to rectify that as a One Nation Conservative government, as a people’s government.

‘We are going to recover our national self-confidence, our mojo, our self-belief and we are going to do things differently and better as a country.

‘It is going to be a wonderful, wonderful time for our country. Our country will stand tall in the world.’

In a victory speech on Friday the PM emphasised that he had an ‘overwhelming mandate’ to take Britain out of the EU by the end of January and deliver on his pledge to ‘get Brexit done’.

Calling for national unity, he urged everyone to ‘find closure and to let the healing begin’ after more than three years since Britain voted leave.

Recognising that people have concerns other than Brexit, and in a possible nod towards Labour supporters’ concerns, he said he would prioritise the NHS.

He added: ‘I believe – in fact, I know because I heard it loud and clear from every corner of the country – that the overwhelming priority of the British people now is that we should focus, above all, on the NHS, that beautiful idea that represents the best of our country.’

But not everyone was convinced after protests in Westminster against five more years as Johnson as PM turned angry on Friday evening.

Demonstrators carried placards bearing the slogans ‘Defy Tory Rule’ and chanted ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn’.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed two people were arrested in relation to the protest.

The PM is expected to reintroduce his Brexit deal in the Commons next week following the Queen’s Speech and State Opening on Parliament on Thursday.

In an interview with Sky News, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar suggested Johnson could be prepared to strike a trade deal with the European Union that would keep the UK closely tied to Brussels standards.

He said he wanted to ensure ‘nobody feels that there’s unfair competition or anyone’s trying to undercut them’ on workers’ rights and environmental protections.

Varadkar added: ‘In my conversations with Mr Johnson, I think he’s probably in a similar space, so it’s a case of now getting on with it.’

The Conservatives gained 67 seats in the election, bringing their total up to 365.

Labour were on 203, a net loss of 42, the SNP on 48, a gain of 13, and the Liberal Democrats on 11, a loss of 10.

Jeremy Corbyn said he would not take his party into the next General Election after its worst defeat since the 1930s.

Despite furious demands to quit immediately he said he intended to lead Labour through a ‘process of reflection’ before a new leader is chosen.

Ardent remainer David Lammy has said he is considering throwing his hat in the ring.

Others touted to take over include Lisa Nandy, who represents Leave-voting Wigan, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Angela Rayner, Sir Keir Statmer, Jess Phillips and Emily Thornberry.

The election has also put Johnson on collision course with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon after she used her party’s landslide north of the border to demand the right to hold a fresh referendum on Scottish independence.

According to a Downing Street spokesman, the PM spoke to Ms Sturgeon yesterday evening to reiterate his ‘unwavering commitment to strengthening the union’.

They added: ‘The Prime Minister made clear how he remained opposed to a second independence referendum, standing with the majority of people in Scotland who do not want to return to division and uncertainty.’

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