In his Johnson's address to the nation spoke of unity Getty Images

It seems that Boris Johnson has clocked off for the day. Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, he said his first priority was to unite a nation that has been divided since the Brexit vote in 2016.

He thanked the people who voted for him, with their hand "quivering" as they voted. He is referring to the people who historically had never voted for his Conservative Party, but sick of three-and-a-half years of "arid" debate about Brexit.

He urged those who still wished to remain in the EU to "find closure" in order to "let the healing begin."

And he spoke of strengthening the union between the four nations of the UK.

But he has a hell of a job ahead of him if he's going to unite the country he now has the mandate to lead.

Many Labour voters did indeed lend Johnson their votes. But more than half of the electorate didn't vote for his Conservative Party. And while that is totally normal in the UK's electoral system, it must still be viewed in the context of the Brexit vote -- and the fact that Johnson is seen as the man responsible for it.

The campaign for a second referendum is as good as dead, and many voters will be in a period of mourning rather than feeling ready to embrace Johnson.

And the divisions between the four nations of the United Kingdom are set to get even worse as the Brexit project gets underway. Scotland made a very clear statement by voting emphatically for a party that wants to remain in the EU.

And Northern Irish voters across the political spectrum think that any form of Brexit is likely to make unity with the Republic of Ireland inevitable.

So, when the Prime Minister turned on his heels after wishing the nation a Merry Christmas, he will have done so knowing that millions of people will have no such thing as a direct result of his victory.