LONDON: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered a setback as voters rejected his Conservative party in two parliamentary byelections.
The Conservatives lost to the Labour Party in Selby and Ainsty, a region where the Sunak’s party had enjoyed a commanding majority.
Liberal Democrats, a centrist party, won the Somerton and Frome seat. The Conservatives just managed to hold on to Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, the constituency held by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson had resigned last month after a committee of lawmakers found that he had lied to Parliament over “Partygate”.
While, the results suggest Sunak’s government may suffer defeat at the next general election, expected next year, the PM said the victory in Uxbridge showed the next general election is not a foregone conclusion. “Westminster’s been acting like the next election is a done deal. The Labour Party has been acting like it’s a done deal. The people of Uxbridge just told all of them that it’s not,” Sunak said on July 21.
The by-elections were a tough midterm test for Sunak, who took over after a series of scandals, a failing economy and a decline in public services left the Conservatives deeply unpopular. The swing against the Conservatives in all three seats indicate a resurgent Labour party may take power in the national election.
