The governing Tories lost both constituencies in two by-elections. This means that the Conservatives have lost more seats in by-elections in this legislative period than they have in decades. The pressure on Sunak is growing.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party has suffered another defeat in two parliamentary by-elections. The Tories lost the MP seats of Kingswood and Wellingbrorough to the opposition Labor Party. In the 2019 elections, the Conservatives won each seat with a large majority.
The bottom line is that the Conservatives have lost more seats in by-elections in this legislative period than ever since the Second World War. The pressure on Sunak from within his own ranks is now likely to increase. Great Britain will elect a new House of Commons this year, the exact date is not yet known. Labor is clearly in the lead in all polls.
A warning shot for the conservatives
The two new Labor MPs will not represent their constituencies in the House of Commons for long. The seats will be merged with other constituencies for the next general election.
The by-election results showed people demanded change after 14 years of Tory government, Labor leader Keir Starmer said. Tory deputy general secretary James Daly spoke of a warning shot. The bankruptcy in Wellingborough in particular is historic: the Conservatives lost 37.6 percentage points compared to the previous election, the second-highest loss for a British party since 1945.
Scandals and worries among the Tories
The by-elections were necessary because the lower house seats had become vacant. Wellingborough MP Peter Bone was forced to resign following allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct. His colleague Chris Skidmore resigned his parliamentary seat in protest against Sunak’s environmental policies.
The Conservatives are also concerned about the strong performance of the right-wing Reform UK party, the former Brexit Party. She came from a standing start to her record result of 13 percent in Wellingborough and most likely got most of her votes from disappointed Tory voters.
Christoph Prössl, ARD London, tagesschau, February 16, 2024 10:49 a.m