John Oliver expertly manages to make the British election funny

John Oliver talks about the UK election
(Image credit: YouTube/Oliver Tweets)

If you found yourself struggling to keep up with (or care about) the British general election that took place last week, fear not, John Oliver is here to help. On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, he explained why the U.K. is in the midst of a "crumpetf—k of epic proportions" that is entirely the making of one Prime Minister Theresa May.

After voluntarily calling the general election to boost her own power going into Brexit negotiations, May got a rude awakening when she lost her Conservative Party's majority in Parliament. How did this happen? Well, it might have something to do with her inability to provide a straight answer to the question of how, exactly, she intends to negotiate the terms of the U.K.'s upcoming split from the European Union. Oliver explains the stakes: What happens to EU citizens living in the U.K.? What about Northern Ireland? And what about all those pet passports that will need to be obtained?!

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.