UK Conservative Party suffers double blow in by-elections

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Jul 2023 10:28

Although the party is on a downward trend, it was able to protect Boris Johnson's seat in west London.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts as he meets with supporters during a campaign event in Newmarket, United Kingdom on July 27, 2022. (AFP)

Britain's Conservative Party was able to hold the former seat of the resigned Member of Parliament and ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, however, it lost two other seats in the British Parliament in the by-election on Friday.

A narrow victory in the west London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip spared the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, holding the record for the most parliamentary seats lost in one day.

As for the Somerton and Frome seat and the Selby and Ainsty seat; the Conservative Party lost the majority in both constituencies, which comes as a substantial knock ahead of next year's general elections.

The Labour Party emerged victorious in Selby and Ainsty, marking its largest victory at a by-election since World War Two, after securing a 16,456 to 12,295 win.

Keir Mather, newly-elected MP, said, "For too long Conservatives here and in Westminster have failed us," as the 25-year-old accused the government of "negligence and complacency."

In Somerton and Frome, Liberal Democrats secured the seat by a gaping 11,008 lead, surpassing the votes that the Conservative Party received in the constituency.

The Party's only victory in Uxbridge and South Ruislip came at the slimmest margins, as Tories earned 13,965 votes to 13,470 votes of the Labour leader Keir Starmer.

The Tories had also been expected to lose Johnson's former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip but won by 13,965 votes to 13,470, delivering a blow to Labour candidate Danny Beales.

Labour leads in polls

The Labour Party, the main opposition to Rishi Sunak's government, currently enjoys a double-digit poll lead and is expected to retake the British government for the first time in over a decade.

The party has amassed six by-election wins since March 2022 with two of these seats coming out of the Conservative Party's share.

Although the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election was triggered by Boris Johnson's resignation over a probe into parties he held during the COVID lockdown, these elections are focused on local issues in contrast to general elections. This highlights a possible change in the status quo, as successive Conservative governments have failed to deal with inflation in the UK.

The head of the government's favourability has fallen to its lowest level (-40) since he took office, as two-thirds of Britons view him unfavorably, according to YouGov.