British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered two fresh defeats after losing two seats to opposition Labor in Thursday's by-election.
Dan Egan won the House of Commons constituency of Kingswood in the south-west of England, and General Kitchen won Wellingborough in the heart of the country, breaking the Conservatives' big margin in previous legislative elections. In 2019.
According to the results, Labor won 44.9% of the vote in Kingswood and 45.9% in Wellingborough, compared to 34.9% and 24.6% for the Conservatives respectively.
The biggest surprise was the performance of the far-right Reform Party, which came third in both constituencies (10.4% in Kingswood and 13% in Wellingborough), putting pressure on the Conservatives.
Labor leader Keir Starmer said the results meant “people want change” as the Conservatives “failed” to blame the economic slowdown on Rishi Sunak's administration.
“This is why we've seen so many ex-Conservative voters switch straight to this changed Labour,” he said.
After 14 years in power, the results contribute to worsening fears among conservatives that the party is headed for defeat when legislative elections are held at the end of the year.
The Tories are leading Labor by between 10 and 20 percentage points in opinion polls, and have already lost 10 by-elections since the last assembly elections in 2019, more than any government since the 1960s.
Even so, they retain an absolute majority in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament.
The results of both these elections represent a relief for Labor leader Keir Starmer, after a difficult week in which he had to withdraw support for a candidate in another parliamentary by-election in Rochdale.
Azhar Ali stopped representing Labor because he made anti-Semitic comments, and 'Labour' will not be on the ballot in the February 29 election because it is too late to offer a replacement.
Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
