UK by-elections: Conservatives brace for drubbing over cost-of-living crisis, political scandals
File photo.
Voters in the United Kingdom (UK) went to the polls on Thursday (July 20) in three electoral districts with the Conservative Party bracing for a drubbing over a cost-of-living crisis and a string of political scandals. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, three opinion polls this week gave the Labour Party a lead of at least 15 points over the Conservatives nationwide.
The Labour Party hopes to win Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency in suburban London as well as the Selby and Ainsty constituency. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, are favoured to win in southwest England’s Somerton and Frome, the report said.
The results of the election are expected early Friday.
A 'tough battle' for Conservatives
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Conservative lawmakers the bye-elections would be a tough battle but said he still thought the party could win the next general election. “I promise you we can do this, but we can only do it together as one team,” Prime Minister Sunak added.
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The elections are a part of the still-rippling shockwaves from the turbulent term of former prime minister Boris Johnson, who quit as a lawmaker in June after a standards watchdog concluded he had lied to Parliament about lawbreaking parties in his office during the Covid pandemic.
An ally followed Johnson out the door, and another lawmaker has resigned amid sex and drugs allegations, triggering the three by-elections. And a defeat in the current elections would increase grumbles that PM Sunak is failing to turn the party’s fortunes around after the mayhem caused by Johnson.
The last time, a governing party lost three by-elections in one day was in 1968 under then prime minister Harold Wilson.
After becoming the prime minister in October last year, Sunak inherited an economy reeling from the brief term of former PM Liz Truss, who stepped down from the top post after her economic plans drove up the cost of government borrowing and hammered the pound.
Unfavourable election results for Conservatives could prompt Sunak to shake up his government with a Cabinet shuffle.
(With inputs from agencies)
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