U.K. by-election results deliver double blow for PM Rishi Sunak
The Hindu
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces setbacks as Labour Party wins by-elections, putting pressure on Conservatives ahead of general election.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered two heavy blows to his leadership ahead of a general election later this year as the Opposition Labour Party overturned strong Conservative majorities to win by-elections in England on Friday.
Labour’s Dan Egan won the House of Commons seat of Kingswood, south-west England, and the party’s Gen Kitchen won Wellingborough, in the East Midlands region of England.
The results reflect double trouble for the British Indian leader as the Conservatives had won both seats by decisive margins at the last general election under Boris Johnson in December 2019.
Another emerging trend saw the far-right Reform UK – the re-organised anti-immigration Brexit Party – coming third, ahead of the Liberal Democrats and Green Party, piling further pressure on the Conservatives on contentious issues such as migration. The latest results from this week’s polls are the ninth and 10th by-election defeats for the Tory-led government since the 2019 general election.
The by-poll in Kingswood was held after Tory leader Chris Skidmore resigned as an MP in protest over Sunak's green policies. Labour's Egan managed to overturn his majority of more than 11,000 in the seat.
In Wellingborough, the voter followed Tory MP Peter Bone being recalled by his constituency over claims of bullying and sexually inappropriate behaviour, which he denies. Labour’s Kitchen overturned his majority of more than 18,000 to win the seat with a swing of 28.5% – the second highest of all time.
“The Kingswood and Wellingborough results show that people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it,” said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
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