Voters in two UK special elections deliver their verdict as gloom mounts for Sunak's government
ABC News
People in two districts of England are voting in special elections that could spell bad news for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
LONDON -- Voters in two districts of England are casting ballots Thursday to replace lawmakers who left suddenly – one in protest, the other under a cloud.
The outcome could deepen gloom among the governing Conservatives, and add momentum to rivals plotting against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Conservatives won the House of Commons seats of Kingswood in southwest England and Wellingborough in the country's center by large margins at the last national election in 2019.
Lawmaker Chris Skidmore quit the Kingswood seat last month to protest Sunak’s lack of commitment to green energy. Long-serving Wellingborough legislator Peter Bone was ousted over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.
Losing either seat would give the Conservative government the unwanted record of suffering more by-election losses between national elections than any administration since the 1960s.
