While he's lived and worked in Canberra for more than three years, Drew Aston still considers himself first and foremost British.
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![Drew Aston, a UK citizen living in Canberra, was surprised by the size of the Conservative victory. Picture: Elesa Kurtz Drew Aston, a UK citizen living in Canberra, was surprised by the size of the Conservative victory. Picture: Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc78dt5m4uaopgdnwrbku.jpg/r0_131_3943_2479_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The 34-year-old Dunlop resident may be on the other side of the world, but said he was tracking the results of the UK election that came through on Friday very closely.
Prime minister Boris Johnson will remain in the top job, after the Conservatives increased their majority in the House of Commons.
"I thought it would be a closer result," he said. "I was surprised by the size of the majority [of the Conservatives]."
The result means Brexit is all but certain to happen, after previous attempts for Britain to leave the European Union failed due to a minority government.
In an election dominated by Brexit, traditional Labour strongholds fell to the Conservatives, some that had been in Labour hands for decades.
Mr Aston, who moved to Canberra for work from Dudley in the British Midlands in 2016, said members of his own family who still live in the area voted Conservative for the first time.
"We've been exasperated by the Brexit stalemate. My family are very traditional Labour voters and some of them have voted Conservative," he said.
"I think ignoring the 'leave' voters has been a big issue, and that Labour wasn't looking after the working class like they used to."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would not lead the party to the next election following the election defeat.
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The election was the third poll in less than five years, and while there may have been some voter fatigue, Mr Aston said many felt the most recent poll was important.
"Initially there was a feeling of apathy to go back to the polls, but as the date came closer, there was a determination to get out and vote," he said.
"I'm a proud British person, and it's been sad to see such a quagmire in our political system, and I feel that other political issues were somewhat overlooked."
After more than three years of debate, delay and division over Brexit, many hope the election result would allow for the UK to move on once the country leaves the EU, which is expected by January 2020.
Among those is the president of the Australia-Britain Society's ACT branch, Bob Nattey.
"Hopefully this will bring some stability," he said.
"They needed to get rid of the uncertainty about who was running the country."
![ACT branch president of the Australia-Britain Society, Bob Nattey, who said certainty was needed after years of debate over Brexit. Picture: Andrew Brown ACT branch president of the Australia-Britain Society, Bob Nattey, who said certainty was needed after years of debate over Brexit. Picture: Andrew Brown](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc78drqis5khu3gqhobkv.jpg/r0_215_4032_2482_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The ACT branch is made up of more than 100 people, both British citizens in Canberra and those who want to preserve British links to Australia.
Mr Nattey said while the final details of Brexit were yet to be worked out, the election showed a clear mandate for Boris Johnson.
"Johnson's attitude has been that they've been given a job to do and to get on with it," he said.
This election was the first poll since Mr Aston moved to Australia that he has not cast a postal vote in.
He said watching the election from Australia was easier due to the time difference as results come through in the early hours of the morning in the UK. "My family normally stay up past 2am to watch the results, but it's a lot easier to watch them over here in Canberra," he said