The Conservative Party and Rishi Sunak took a double hit after the Labour Party secured victories in both Kingwood and Welling-borough by-elections, digressing the course of Conservative majorities.
Candidates of the Labour Party, Gen Kitchen and Damien Egan secured wins in Welling-borough and Kingswood by-elections , respectively, marking another big jolt to the current Parliament under the Conservative government as both seats were Tory strongholds. These victories marked the second-largest swing from the Conservatives ever recorded.
Gen Kitchen secured Wellingborough with 45.8% of the vote, while Damien Egan won Kingwood with 44.9% of the vote, delivering resounding wins of the Labour Party.
The outcomes pose a significant challenge for the Conservative Party, with economic difficulties such as the UK’s entry into recession at the close of 2023. Compounding the situation, Reform UK, a right-wing party, achieved notable success in the by-elections by garnering over 10% of the vote for the first time.
Significantly, Tories have been witnessing defeats repeatedly, bringing the total number of by-elections losses for the Conservative government to ten, surpassing the 1960s record, where John Major’s government suffered eight losses consecutively, leading to Tony Blair’s winning the election in 1997. It is almost ironical for the Tories who were regarded as the most successful political parties of the democracies across the world.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is elated after the victories as saw it as a sign of change and a renewed faith of people in the Labour Party’s ability to deliver. Speaking on the same, the leader said that the Party if given chance will be working on issues such as ‘Recession’, which has chronic implications at present.
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