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Rishi Sunak blames ‘particularly challenging’ factors for double by-election defeat – and says ‘we’ve got work to do’
He said "midterm elections are always difficult" for governing parties who often get punished at the ballot box
RISHI Sunak today blamed "particularly challenging" factors after Labour won two by-election seats from the Conservatives.
The PM admitted "we've got work to do" after suffering defeats in the once-Tory strongholds of Kingswood and Wellingborough.
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He said "midterm elections are always difficult" for governing parties who often get punished at the ballot box.
But he said voters will have a clear choice at the general election this year when he will face off with Sir Keir Starmer.
He stressed: "That's the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the Conservatives and Labour."
In Kingswood, Labour's Damien Egan defeated Tory Sam Bromiley by a majority of 2,501, despite it previously being safely in the Tories' grips.
The Tories were defending a 11,220 majority but a 16.4 percentage point swing to Labour saw that evaporated.
Two hours later, there was even better news for Sir Keir as his party managed to overturn a majority of a 18,540 in Wellingborough.
Labour's Gen Kitchen took the seat with a majority of nearly 6,436 over her Tory rival Helen Harrison.
While conceding it was a challenging night, Mr Sunak went on the attack - declaring Sir Keir "doesn't have a plan".
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He said: "Now, I think if you look at the results, very low turnout, and it shows that we've got work to do to show people that we are delivering on their priorities and that's what I'm absolutely determined to do,
"But it also shows that there isn't a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, and that's because they don't have a plan.
"And if you don't have a plan, you can't deliver real change. And when the general election comes, that's the message I'll be making to the country.
"Stick with our plan, because it is starting to deliver the change that the country wants and needs."
Tory Party chairman Richard Holden said the results were “very disappointing” but stressed the need to look at the context in which the by-elections happened.
“We had an MP in Kingswood who stood down and also obviously in Wellingborough we had a parliamentary investigation, which led to a recall petition which led to an MP being forced to stand down.
“Not ideal circumstances for any form of by-election for any party.”
Labour will be breathing a sigh of relief after days of negative headlines over the U-turn on the £28bn green pledge and a row about the handling of antisemitism allegations.
Sir Keir hailed the “fantastic” results, insisting they demonstrate people "want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it".
What the by-election double whammy means for the Tories
By Martina Bet, Political Correspondent
The Tories have suffered the loss of two previously safe Tory seats in Wellingborough and Kingswood.
The party expected a difficult night, partly because governing parties often suffer a by-election backlash but also because of the controversies that led to the two vacancies.
But can the defeats be shrugged off as cases of mid-term blues?
Wellingborough and Kingswood are not the only two Tory strongholds that have collapsed in recent by-elections.
Labour made history in October last year by winning a by-election in the Mid Bedfordshire parliamentary seat which had been held by the Tories since 1931.
The Government has also now clocked up more by-election losses in any single Parliament than any administration since the 1960s.
With Mr Sunak having to go to the country by January 2025 at the latest, these latest defeats will undoubtedly worry the PM.
But first, he's got a bigger fish to fry with Tory rebels likely to become even more rattled.
Last month, former cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke tried to have him ousted as leader, claiming that the party would be “massacred” at the next election if he remained prime minister.
Sir Simon said he had acted alone and a string of Tories immediately came to the defence of the PM.
But the by-election defeats might leave more MP malcontents within the party calling for change.
On Sunday, Mr Sunak told critics who doubt he can turn his party’s fortunes around that he is “totally up for the fight”.
In an interview with The Times, he also promised to reward hard work with tax cuts and struck an optimistic note over the UK's economic prospects.
With the spring budget around the corner, disgruntled Tories will likely see it as a pivotal moment, hoping for bold fiscal policies they believe could clinch a general election victory.
He added: “By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.
“The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.
“Those who gave us their trust in Kingswood and Wellingborough, and those considering doing so, can be safe in the knowledge that we will spend every day working to get Britain’s future back.”
Speaking from the election count in Kingswood, former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg sought to downplay the defeats.
He said: "Does it tell you anything about the general election? Almost certainly not.
“By-elections are an opportunity for people not to turn out, to protest, and at ensuing general elections they don’t give a consistent guide to what happens.”
The MP for North East Somerset also said he thought the result in Kingswood would be worse.
While Labour has held a sustained double-digit advantage over the Tories in national opinion polls, the circumstances over the by-elections did not make things easier for Mr Sunak.
Kingswood’s vote was triggered by Chris Skidmore’s resignation as an MP in protest at Government legislation to boost North Sea oil and gas drilling.
The by-election in Northamptonshire's Wellingborough came after Mr Bone received a six-week suspension from the Commons when an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
The selection of Mr Bone’s partner, Ms Harrison, as the Tory candidate standing in his former seat was also highly controversial, with the PM declining to say last month whether he would be campaigning for her.
Losing both seats means the Government has clocked up more by-election losses in any single Parliament than any administration since the 1960s.
It also comes the day after it was officially announced the UK had entered a recession at the end of 2023.
More worryingly for Mr Sunak, it could also embolden Tory rebels who want him replaced after former cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke tried to have him ousted as leader last month.
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The performance of Reform UK in both by-elections will also provide some unease amongst Tory strategists, as the successor of the Brexit Party took home more than 10 per cent of the votes in both seats.
By JACK ELSOM, Chief Political Correspondent
PRESSURE ON SUNAK TO NEUTRALISE THREAT FROM REFORM
By JACK ELSOM, Chief Political Correspondent
THE Reform Party is starting to pose a serious problem for Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
A rebrand of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, they have been creeping up in the polls for many months by hammering the Tories over high taxes and mass immigration.
Last night they came third in both by-elections, scoring at 13 and 10 per cent respectively.
Their leader Richard Tice has been eager to highlight that - if replicated at a general election - this could translate into millions of votes.
But the problem is that our first past the post electoral system means he is unlikely to win very many - if any - actual seats.
Even in the heyday of UKIP, the party managed to win just one seat at a general election.
Instead, Reform risks sapping votes from the Tories to an extent where Labour are handed victories in key constituencies, especially in the Red Wall.
Sensing this in 2019, Farage stood down his Brexit Party troops in all areas the Conservatives already held to help their common goal of stopping Jeremy Corbyn.
The issue for Sunak is that Tice has ruled out any such approaches and has vowed to stand in every single seat.
The job now is for the PM to frame the election as Sunak vs Starmer, where a vote for Reform is just a gift for Labour.
And the pressure on Tice to stand down will only grow as polling day nears.
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