The British Conservative Party faces defeat in two of three constituencies in by-elections

The British Conservative Party loses by-elections in two of the three constituencies

The British Conservatives were able to retain the seat of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but they were defeated in two other constituencies in a three-seat by-election that took place on Thursday, and constitutes a test for the general suffrage scheduled for next year.

This election may not bode well for conservatives. Because they lost a wide majority in the constituencies of Somerton and Frome in the southwest of England, and Selby and Einstey in the north of the country.

But the party retained, by a very small margin, in the constituency of Uxbridge and Ruislip the seat of Johnson, who resigned amid great fanfare from Parliament; Because of the consequences of the scandal of the parties that were held at the headquarters of the government during the “Covid-19” epidemic, or “Partigate”.

The surprising result of the elections in this constituency indicates that Steve Tackwell won the seat of Uxbridge and Rieslip (west London), by 13,965 votes against 13,470 votes for the Labor candidate, who, before polls, indicated that they are in a good position.

On the other hand, the Conservative Party lost by a wide margin the seat of Somerton & Frome. Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke replaced David Warburton, who is accused of using cocaine. Dyke received 21,187 votes to Warburton’s 10,179.

The Conservatives had a majority of 19,000 votes before the election.

Labor captured the seat of Selby & Einstey in Yorkshire, where Nigel Adams dropped out at the height of his ally Boris Johnson’s troubles.

In this constituency, too, the government enjoyed a comfortable majority of 20,000 votes. The balloting ended with Keir Mather winning with 16,456 votes compared to 12,295 votes for the Conservative Party.

It is the biggest change in Labor’s majority in a by-election since World War Two.

“a test”

These elections reveal the horizon of the next electoral period for both the majority, whose support has reached the lowest levels in opinion polls after 13 years in power, and for the workers, who appear poised to take over as prime minister in 2024.

Voter Deborah Willot, 65, who met the “AFP” in front of a polling station in a church, said it was “an opportunity to express our position on local issues.”

She cited polluting car charges imposed by Uxbridge and Ruislip, the closure of a police station, or a new runway project at nearby Heathrow airport.

As for Jonathan Haines, 37, an voter in Uxbridge, where the Conservatives retained their seat, he believes that these elections constitute “a test of what the country feels (…) after years of crises in British politics.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged, in front of Conservative Party MPs, (Wednesday evening) that this election would be a “difficult battle”, and called on his forces to close ranks, as stated by MP Jonathan Goles, who attended the meeting.

But Sunak, 43, who took power in October after the forced departure of Boris Johnson due to scandals, and Liz Terrace, who was ousted in less than two months later, avoided a complete defeat, but the performance outcome remains negative.

Although the former banker seemed to bring some stability and professionalism at first, confidence in his performance fell to an all-time low this week, as indicated by a YouGov poll, in which 65 per cent of Britons expressed a negative opinion of him.

This comes as high inflation, which has been recorded for a year, reaching 7.9 per cent in June, affected purchasing power, while Thursday’s elections coincided with strikes by railway workers and hospital doctors.

Government amendment

Sunak praised the performance of his government, and expressed his satisfaction that 4 “major” laws had obtained royal approval (Thursday), especially the controversial texts on illegal immigration, and the imposition of a minimum service in the event of a strike.

“When it comes to improving people’s lives, I focus on actions, not words,” the prime minister said in a statement.

And while enhancing the possibility of defeat in the legislative elections next year, Defense Minister Ben Wallace, who enjoys popularity, announced last week that he would not run again, like about fifty other deputies.

He will also leave the government in the next cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to take place in September, unless Sunak reshuffles his team this week to regain the initiative.

On the other hand, the Labor Party, which is leading in opinion polls by a large margin, is preparing to take power under the leadership of Keir Starmer, who reorganized the party after the era of the far-left Jeremy Corbyn.

A staunch advocate of budgetary responsibility, he angered some in his own party this week by opposing better social assistance for large families. He does not have a strong personality and is not popular with the British.

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2023-07-21 05:52:26