Conservatives suffer setback in UK parliamentary elections

Britain's ruling Conservative Party has lost the first of two parliamentary elections in a fresh blow to its embattled leader, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose future is in doubt by critics within his fractious political party.

The Conservatives were defeated in Kingswood, near Bristol, by 8,675 votes to 11,176, losing a seat the party had previously held. Votes were held Thursday to replace two Conservative lawmakers who had left Parliament. The first set of results were announced early Friday morning.

With a general election expected later this year, the outcome is likely to exacerbate Sunak's problems at a time when the British economy is shrinking, interest rates are high and Britain's healthcare system appears to be in a state of near-permanent crisis. Opinion polls show his party trailing the opposition Labor party by double digits.

The results of Wellingborough's second parliamentary election are expected later on Friday morning. Turnout in both elections was low: less than 40 percent, with many people staying home instead of voting.

The gloomy mood within the Conservative Party had already deepened on Thursday, following the release of economic data showing that Britain had officially entered a recession in the final months of 2023.

Although the latest 0.3 percent contraction in Britain's gross domestic product was superficial, confirmation that the economy had shrunk and entered recession was nevertheless a blow to Mr Sunak, who had made a series of promises last year, under more to stimulate economic growth. .

In recent weeks, ministers have claimed the economy has turned a corner, with Mr Sunak urging Britons to “stick to the plan” he outlined to fight inflation and revive the economy . That argument, which is likely to be a cornerstone of the Conservative Party's election campaign, could be harder to sustain before growth returns. On Thursday, the Labor Party tried to blame Mr Sunak directly for what it called “Rishi's recession”.

The latest electoral setback for the Conservatives puts further pressure on Mr Sunak, after a bad week for Labor Party leader Keir Starmer, who was forced to suspend two of his parliamentary candidates over comments they made about Israel.

Earlier this year, a former minister, Simon Clarke, called for the prime minister to resign, and analysts will be watching closely to see whether more conservative lawmakers are sufficiently alarmed about their electoral prospects to push for a change in leader .

It would be complicated to force Mr Sunak out, especially as the Conservatives have already replaced two prime ministers – Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – since winning the last general election in 2019. Any new attempt to topple Mr Sunak would likely fuel public calls for a snap general election, due to take place in January next year, which Mr Sunak has pledged to call in 2024.

Wellingborough in Northamptonshire was considered one of the Conservative Party's safest seats. But former lawmaker Peter Bone was suspended from parliament after an investigation found he exposed a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.

Mr Bone denied the allegations against him, but after his suspension enough voters in Wellingborough signed a petition to trigger a new election for the parliamentary seat.

The Conservative Party then selected Bone's partner, Helen Harrison, to replace him.

In Kingswood, near Bristol, the Conservatives won the last election by 11,000 votes.

The vacancy in Kingswood was caused by the resignation of Chris Skidmore, a former energy secretary who decided to leave Parliament after Sunak's government said it would offer more licenses to extract oil and gas from the North Sea. In his resignation letter, Mr Skidmore said he was resigning “in protest at the government's decision to prioritize and politicize new oil and gas permits over a sensible investment plan for the future.”

Early on Friday morning, victorious Labor candidate Damien Egan told his cheering supporters: “Our country is at a crossroads. Under the Conservatives we can choose more controlled decline, more chaos and more division. or we can choose a changed Labor Party, a government that puts people first.”