<p>It was a night of exquisite highs and demoralising lows for Britain's partisan press after Thursday's election handed Prime Minister Boris Johnson a clear mandate to follow through with Brexit.</p>.<p>"Rejoice!" the Daily Mail told its readers, calling Johnson's election performance a "sensation".</p>.<p>The right-wing Daily Express, which has been one of the most fervent supporters of Britain's split from the European Union, called the main opposition Labour party's performance "humiliating".</p>.<p>"Boris has done it!" it cheered.</p>.<p>Early results put Johnson's Conservative party on course for its best performance since the heyday of late Tory icon Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.</p>.<p>The mood could have hardly been more different in the left corner of the UK press, which has backed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn throughout his difficult campaign.</p>.<p>"Nightmare before Xmas," the Daily Mirror said in huge letters on its front page.</p>.<p>"Big win," it added in tiny letters under a picture of Johnson, who took over from Theresa May as Conservative party leader and prime minister in July.</p>.<p>Johnson's campaign was built around a simple vow to "get Brexit done" -- a message that appeared to resonate with voters demoralised by years of arguments over Europe and Britain's place in the world.</p>.<p>But Johnson is a polarising figure and some on the UK left held out hope that voters would confound pollsters and hand the opposition an unexpected win.</p>.<p>The pro-European Guardian newspaper called the outcome a "shock".</p>.<p>"It is a triumph where the margin of victory makes it a Herculean task to reverse it over a single parliament," the leftist New Statesman magazine wrote.</p>.<p>But the Financial Times noted that Johnson's whopping majority meant that he was no longer dependent on support from the most anti-European lawmakers in his party.</p>.<p>"Some in Downing Street believe Mr Johnson will use his clear victory to sideline hardcore Tory Eurosceptics and push for a closer economic partnership with the EU to protect manufacturing jobs," the Financial Times said. </p>
<p>It was a night of exquisite highs and demoralising lows for Britain's partisan press after Thursday's election handed Prime Minister Boris Johnson a clear mandate to follow through with Brexit.</p>.<p>"Rejoice!" the Daily Mail told its readers, calling Johnson's election performance a "sensation".</p>.<p>The right-wing Daily Express, which has been one of the most fervent supporters of Britain's split from the European Union, called the main opposition Labour party's performance "humiliating".</p>.<p>"Boris has done it!" it cheered.</p>.<p>Early results put Johnson's Conservative party on course for its best performance since the heyday of late Tory icon Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.</p>.<p>The mood could have hardly been more different in the left corner of the UK press, which has backed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn throughout his difficult campaign.</p>.<p>"Nightmare before Xmas," the Daily Mirror said in huge letters on its front page.</p>.<p>"Big win," it added in tiny letters under a picture of Johnson, who took over from Theresa May as Conservative party leader and prime minister in July.</p>.<p>Johnson's campaign was built around a simple vow to "get Brexit done" -- a message that appeared to resonate with voters demoralised by years of arguments over Europe and Britain's place in the world.</p>.<p>But Johnson is a polarising figure and some on the UK left held out hope that voters would confound pollsters and hand the opposition an unexpected win.</p>.<p>The pro-European Guardian newspaper called the outcome a "shock".</p>.<p>"It is a triumph where the margin of victory makes it a Herculean task to reverse it over a single parliament," the leftist New Statesman magazine wrote.</p>.<p>But the Financial Times noted that Johnson's whopping majority meant that he was no longer dependent on support from the most anti-European lawmakers in his party.</p>.<p>"Some in Downing Street believe Mr Johnson will use his clear victory to sideline hardcore Tory Eurosceptics and push for a closer economic partnership with the EU to protect manufacturing jobs," the Financial Times said. </p>