Great Britain
Tories lose their traditional seats in parliament
Helen Morgan (center) of the Liberal Democrats after she was declared the winner of the North Shropshire by-elections. Photo: Jacob King / PA / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is growing. The Liberal Democrats have stolen a parliamentary seat from his conservative party in a by-election.
New shock for Boris Johnson: after almost 200 years, his Conservative Party lost a seat in parliament in a by-election.
The Liberal Democrats chased the Tories from the mandate in North Shropshire by a huge margin, as reported by British media. This defeat should further increase the pressure on Johnson.
The conservative head of government is already under criticism for alleged violations of the corona rules that he himself has imposed. In particular, there are reports of several Christmas parties on Downing Street last December. Most recently, Johnson won a vote on stricter corona rules in parliament thanks to votes from the opposition.
The people of North Shropshire on the border with Wales had sent a clear signal to Johnson, said victorious Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan. “Your government, based on lies and shouting, will be held accountable,” Morgan said.
The by-election in the west of England’s Tory stronghold had become necessary because Johnson’s party colleague Owen Paterson had to resign because of his involvement in a lobbying scandal.