Byelection results - live: Boost for Starmer after Rochdale ‘shambles’ as Labour clinches two major victories
Labour overturns two large majorities to take seats in Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire on a bad night for the Conservative party
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Two byelection victories have boosted Keir Starmer after a difficult week for Labour in which the party was accused of a “shambolic” handling of an antisemitism row.
Labour overturned huge Tory majorities to win in Kingswood and Wellingborough, meaning the Conservatives have now suffered the most byelection defeats of any government since the 1960s.
Speaking to broadcasters on Friday morning, Mr Starmer acknowledged it had been a “bumpy” week, but insisted the victories suggest the public can see that his party has changed since Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, which was often overshadowed by controversies surrounding its handling of antisemitism allegations.
“I think there is a message now from these by-elections… I think the country is crying out for change. Everybody knows that,” he added.
Earlier, Rishi Sunak insisted that his government’s “plan is working” as he urged voters to stick with the Conservatives in the wake of thedouble defeat.
The prime minister said the circumstances surrounding the by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough were “particularly challenging” and suggested that the low turnout meant that there “isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer,” who he claimed had “no plan” for government.
Kingswood and Wellinborough byelections in charts and graphs
Labour’s new MP for Wellingborough spotted in constituency after byelection victory
Gen Kitchen has been pictured out and about in her constituency after winning the Wellingborough byelection.
Ms Kitchen beat the Conservative candidate Helen Harrison, the partner of ousted former MP Peter Bone, by 6,000 votes, with a swing of 28.5 per cent.
The Northamptonshire constituency was the second most marginal seat for Labour in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide, with Paul Stinchcombe winning by just 187 votes.
New Conservatives call on Sunak to change course following ‘unequivocal byelection defeats
A right-wing faction of Conservative MPs – known as the New Conservatives – have called for Rishi Sunak to “change course” and “adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal”, Zoe Grunewald reports.
In a public statement, co-chairs of the group Danny Kruger MP and Miriam Cates MP said that government policy so far “is plainly not enough”.
“All of this is plainly not enough. In 2019 the British people voted for change, and they haven’t seen it yet. We have many good excuses - the disruptions and distractions of Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war - but so far, we have not delivered on the promises we made at the last election.”
They called for the government to repeal the Human Rights Act if foreign courts stop illegal migration plans, introduce further cuts to legal migration, reform the welfare state and cut taxes.
They state: “There is still time - but our Party must change course. We are calling on the Government to adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal. Our target voters want a different and a better offer.”
Lord Frost says Tory vote is ‘collapsing’ as he calls on Sunak to adopt ‘more Conservative' policies
Former Brexit minister and Rishi Sunak critic Lord David Frost has warned that the Conservative vote is “collapsing” and the government must now shift to “more conservative policy”, Zoe Grunewald reports.
Posting on social media site X, Lord Frost said: “In brief these by-elections show the same story as previous ones: former Conservative voters are simply not coming out and voting Conservative.“The Labour vote isn’t going up, but ours is collapsing.”
He added: “To get voters back we need a shift to more conservative policy, on tax and spend, immigration, net zero, public sector reform, and more. It’s late, but not - yet - too late.”
Tories can still win general election if we unite - Rees-Mogg
The Conservative Party can still win the general election if it unites, former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted.
“If the Tory family unites it will win,” the North East Somerset MP wrote on X.
Earlier, Mr Rees-Mogg said that Rishi Sunak’s leadership was “solid” despite the double by-election losses in Wellingborough and Kingswood.
Speaking to the BBC, the right-leaning Tory MP said: “Rishi Sunak’s leadership is solid and has support and by-elections don’t change that.”
A plot to oust Mr Sunak by allies of Mr Rees-Mogg recently bubbled to the surface at the time of a crucial vote on his Rwanda legislation, but quickly fizzled out after being met with scorn from other prominent Tories.
ICYMI: Polling guru John Curtice warns Rishi Sunak is in ‘deep electoral trouble’ after by-election disaster
Top polling guru Sir John Curtice has sent the Conservatives a stark warning following their disaster double by-election defeat, stating the party is in “deep, deep electoral trouble”.
Sir John told the BBC that although the 21-point drop in Kingswood is in line with what the party are currently suffering in the opinion polls, it is the Wellingborough result of 37-38 points that is “the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever managed to suffer in a post-war by-election”.
Full report here.
Disaster for Rishi Sunak as Labour overturns big Tory majorities in double by-election defeat
Rishi Sunak has suffered a devastating double blow as Labour stormed to back-to-back by-election victories overnight.
Hours after official figures showed Britain has fallen into a recession, the prime minister saw Labour overturn huge Tory majorities in Kingswood and Wellingborough.
Full report:
Disaster for Sunak as Labour overturns Tory majorities in double by-election defeat
Hours after official figures showed Britain has fallen into a recession, the prime minister saw Labour overturn huge Tory majorities in Kingswood and Wellingborough
Delaying election could make result worse for Tories, top Conservative commentator says
The longer Rishi Sunak waits to hold a general election the worse the result could be for his party, a top Conservative commentator has suggested.
Tim Montgomerie, founder of Tory bible the Conservative Home website, said it was “absolutely over” for his party following today’s byelection results and warned the prime minister the electorate could get more angry in the months ahead.
“It’s over for the Tories,” he wrote in a post on X. “Absolutely over. We didn’t do what we said we’d do and did the things we said we wouldn’t. The longer Sunak delays the election date the angrier the electorate are going to get.”
Reform UK makes gains as Tory losses mount in double by-election drubbing
Right-wing challenger party Reform UK has secured its best by-election results yet as Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg bemoaned his party’s performance and warned they should “learn from” the drubbing.
Richard Tice’s party scored double-digit shares of the vote in both Wellingborough and Kingswood overnight, as the party leader called it a “defining moment” that showed Reform to be a “significant force now in British politics and that people have got to take us seriously”.
Full report:
Reform UK makes gains as Tory losses mount in double by-election drubbing
The rebranded Brexit party increased vote share has sparked concern among Conservative MPs
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