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Rishi Sunak suffered a bruising night last night, losing byelections in both Wellingborough and Kingswood.
The defeats mean the Conservative Party has now lost more by-elections in a single parliament than any administration since the 1960s.
Wellingborough, which was previously held with a Conservative majority of 18,540, was won by Labour with a majority of 6,436. This represents a swing of 28.5 percentage points – the second largest swing from Tory to Labour at any by-election since World War 2.
Kingswood was previously held with a Conservative majority of 11,220, but was last night won by Labour with a majority of 2,501 – a swing to Labour of 16.4 per cent.
Rishi Sunak suffered a bruising night last night, losing byelections in both Wellingborough and Kingswood
PA
Sir Keir Starmer said the results of the by-elections show the public “want change”.
“These are fantastic results in Kingswood and Wellingborough that show people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it,” he said.
The Labour leader continued: “By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.
“The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.
“Those who gave us their trust in Kingswood and Wellingborough, and those considering doing so, can be safe in the knowledge that we will spend every day working to get Britain’s future back.”
Sir Keir Starmer said the results of the by-elections show the public “want change”
PA
The double loss piles more pressure on the Prime Minister following the news that the UK entered a recession at the end of 2023.
Meanwhile, Reform UK saw its best by-election results after targeting disgruntled voters on the right, securing more than 10 per cent of the vote in both seats, for the first time in any by-election.
Reform deputy leader Ben Habib won 13 per cent of the vote in Wellingborough, while Rupert Lowe won 10 per cent in Kingswood.
The party’s leader, Richard Tice, said the result in Kingswood shows it is now a “significant force in British politics”.
Habib described his party’s results as “remarkable” but denied that Labour’s victory came as a result of Tory voters switching to Reform, saying: “The only reason Labour win if Labour win is because the Tory party are utterly useless.”
He said the running of the country needs a “complete 180-degree handbrake turn”.
As voting closed last night, the Conservative Party was already downbeat on its chances of victory with a party source telling GB News: “We have fought robust campaigns on the ground in both of these seats with local candidates. But these bylections were always going to be hard.
“The Government of the day rarely win by-elections. Both of these seats have been Labour recently and they require smaller swings than were seen in recent by-elections.”
Gen Kitchen, the new MP for Wellingborough, said she is “ecstatic” at the result
PA
Kingswood was previously held with a Conservative majority of 11,220, but was last night won by Labour with a majority of 2,501
PA
The by-election in Wellingborough was called after former MP Peter Bone was forced to resign after he was found to have committed acts of bullying and sexual misconduct.
His partner, Helen Harrison, was selected as the Tory candidate, making it difficult for the Tory party to draw a line under the scandal.
Gen Kitchen, the new MP for Wellingborough, said she is “ecstatic” at the result, saying that the two by-election victories for Labour show people are “fed up” with the Conservatives.
She said: “I hope Damien [Egan] is as ecstatic as I am, and I’m sure the Labour leadership will be as well.
“This shows that people are fed up, they want change, they want competency, they want pragmatism and they want politicians to under-promise and over-deliver, which is what I am hoping to do.
“It shows how much hard work we put in and the real positive message we were putting out. There is a real appetite for a fresh start and change.”
Pollster Sir John Curtice said the results show Starmer is still “on course” to be the next Prime Minister.
He told the BBC: “For Labour, frankly, this is all pretty much good news. They will be slightly disappointed that they didn’t do better in Kingswood, they can’t complain much about what they achieved in Wellingborough.
“Sir Keir Starmer, one has to say at the moment, still looks to be on course to be our next prime minister.”
He also said that Reform UK have “now entered the electoral battle in a serious way”. This, Curtice said, “potentially adds to the Conservatives’ difficulties so far as their chances of hanging onto seats at the next general election.”
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