British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffers humiliating by-election setbacks

The twin setback revealed a remarkable drop in support for the Conservatives, who had won the previous four national elections, and is just the third occasion since 1991 that a British prime minister has lost two by-elections on the same day

On Friday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservatives suffered two humiliating defeats in formerly safe parliamentary seats, casting doubt on his party’s ability to win the upcoming general election.

The twin setback revealed a remarkable drop in support for the Conservatives, who had won the previous four national elections, and is just the third occasion since 1991 that a British prime minister has lost two by-elections on the same day.

The main opposition Labour Party gained the seat of Mid-Bedfordshire, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of London, overturning a majority of over 25,000, the worst deficit overcome by the party in a by-election since 1945.

Labour also defeated a substantial Conservative majority in Tamworth, a mostly rural constituency in central England, with the second largest swing between the two parties since World War Two.

“These are phenomenal results,” said Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in a statement. “Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it.”

Former investment banker Sunak, 43, has recently made an effort to portray himself as a daring reformer rather than the cautious technocrat who helped restore some of Britain’s credibility following the resignation of his two predecessors due to scandals and economic unrest.

Sunak is running out of time and possibilities to narrow the gap on Labour, who have had a double-digit polling advantage over the Conservative for more than a year. Voters are enraged at high inflation, economic stagnation, and lengthy wait times to access the state-run health system.

A spokesman for the Conservatives claimed that while the results had been challenging, midterm elections are generally challenging for governments to win.

Read also:-A History of Violence

Sunak attempted to portray himself as an audacious reformer who was prepared to make difficult decisions in order to resuscitate the economy in a speech at his party’s congress this month. Sunak earlier revealed measures to weaken the nation’s net-zero pledges and recently announced plans to abandon a high-speed rail route that his predecessors had supported.

Polls conducted following the convention revealed that Sunak had not greatly reduced the gap with Labour, despite a slight rise in his own popularity.

A spokeswoman for Starmer said this week that his party had the same chance of a “moonshot” in reversing big majorities, which was how Labour had downplayed its chances of reclaiming either seat.

The high-profile resignations of lawmakers connected to the late prime minister Boris Johnson led to the elections in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth.

Nadine Dorries, a former minister, resigned from her Mid-Bedfordshire seat after failing to get support for her appointment to the upper house of parliament.

When Chris Pincher, another lawmaker, resigned following his suspension from the parliament for molesting men at a London bar, it led to the election in Tamworth. His claims played a part in the downfall of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration.

At the most recent general election in 2019, Labour won the Mid-Bedfordshire seat with a majority of over 1,100, overturning a Conservative majority of 24,664.

Since 1931, every election in the area has resulted in the election of a Conservative to the chamber of representatives.