(London) The British Conservatives in power kept the seat of ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday, but also suffered two setbacks elsewhere in a closely scrutinized by-election which put three seats at stake, before the Legislative next year.
These results are potentially ominous, as the Tories have lost two very large majorities in the constituencies of Somerton and Frome (south-west of England), and Selby and Ainsty (north).
However, they narrowly kept the former seat of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned with a bang from Parliament due to the aftermath of “partygate”, the holiday scandal in Downing Street during the pandemic.
The surprising result of this partial gives Steve Tuckwell the winner against Labor for the seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip (west of London), with 13,965 votes against 13,470.
Labor was however well placed despite the unpopular forthcoming extension of the tax on polluting vehicles, decided by the town hall of his camp.
By contrast, the Tories largely lost the seat of Somerton and Frome. The incumbent, David Warburton, accused of cocaine consumption, was replaced by the Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke, in favor of 21,187 votes against 10,179, while the Tories had a majority of 19,000 votes before the election.
And Labor stole the chair from Selby and Ainsty, in Yorkshire (north of England), where MP Nigel Adams slammed the door in the wake of Boris Johnson, of whom he is an ally.
Yet again, the government had a comfortable majority of 20,000 votes. But Keir Mather finished in the lead with 16,456 ballots, against 12,295 for the Conservatives. This is the biggest reversal of majority for Labor in a partial since the Second World War.
“Test” ballot
These by-elections have set the tone for the upcoming election period, both for the majority, at its lowest in the polls after 13 years in power, and for Labour, well placed to enter Downing Street in 2024.
They are “an opportunity to speak out on local issues,” said Deborah Willott, a 65-year-old voter met by AFP in front of a polling station set up in a church.
She cited the car tax, but also the closure of a police station or the project for a new runway at nearby Heathrow airport.
PHOTO FRANK AUGSTEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
This election “is a test of how the country feels […] after several years of crises in British politics,” said Jonathan Haynes, 37, a voter in Uxbridge, where the Tories have kept their hand.
In front of Conservative MPs on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged that these elections were going to be a “tough battle” and had called on his troops to unite, reported one of the elected officials present at the meeting, Jonathan Gullis.
The 43-year-old prime minister, who entered Downing Street last October after the forced departures of Boris Johnson, carried away by scandals, and Liz Truss, dislodged in less than two months, may have avoided zero out of three, the balance sheet remains negative.
And although the ex-investment banker seemed to bring a semblance of stability and professionalism at the start, his confidence rating fell to an all-time low this week, with 65% of Britons having an unfavorable opinion of him according to the YouGov institute.
The high inflation observed for a year, despite a slowdown to 7.9% in June, has weighed on purchasing power and Thursday’s elections coincided with strikes by railway workers and doctors in hospitals.
Redesign in sight
At the same time Rishi Sunak praised the action of his government, welcoming that four “major” laws received royal assent on Thursday, in particular the controversial texts on illegal immigration and the establishment of minimum service in the event of a strike.
“When it comes to improving people’s lives, I’m focused on action, not words,” he said in a statement.
Reinforcing the idea of a defeat announced in the legislative elections next year, the popular Minister of Defense Ben Wallace announced last week that he would not stand again, like about fifty other deputies.
He will also leave the government at the next reshuffle, expected in September. Unless Rishi Sunak renews his team this week to regain the initiative.
Opposite, Labour, well ahead in the polls, is preparing for power, under the leadership of Keir Starmer who has refocused his training after the period of the very left Jeremy Corbyn.
Having become a cantor of budgetary responsibility, he however drew the wrath of some of his troops this week by opposing better social assistance for large families. Perceived as not very charismatic, he is judged unfavorably by the majority of the British.