The British Conservatives can hold the former constituency of ex-Prime Minister Johnson by a hair’s breadth – and thus avoid a triple defeat in by-elections to the House of Commons.
Just 495 votes – the British Conservatives defended the former constituency of their ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a wafer-thin majority. In two other districts, the ruling party was defeated by opposition Labor and Liberal Democrats in by-elections to the House of Commons. This is clear after counting the votes on Friday night. A new parliament is expected to be elected in Britain next year. The Conservatives are currently lagging far behind the largest opposition party, Labour, in the polls.
The by-elections in the three constituencies previously held by the Conservatives had been made necessary by resignations: ex-Prime Minister Johnson had given up his west London constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, his ally Nigel Adams the constituency of Selby and Ainsty. New elections were also held in the Somerton and Frome constituency, which had previously been in Conservative hands. Polls had even pointed to a triple defeat for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives. The Tories were able to avoid this.
Johnson’s future uncertain
Johnson resigned his mandate in June to avoid punishment by a committee of inquiry into his statements in the so-called Partygate scandal about banned celebrations during the corona pandemic. The committee found that Johnson lied on multiple occasions. The former prime minister is now writing columns for a daily newspaper again. His political future is uncertain. Conservative Steve Tuckwell prevailed in his constituency.
According to political scientist John Curtice, the Conservatives’ victory in Johnson’s former constituency may have something to do with London’s Labor Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial expansion of the environmental zone. Vehicles with certain emission classes are only allowed to drive into the environmental zone for a high fee, which is now being extended to the entire metropolitan area. That should have given the Tories a boost. In relation to the country as a whole, however, this will not help the conservatives, according to the expert.
The Labor Party prevailed in the Selby and Ainsty constituency, with 25-year-old Keir Mather becoming the youngest MP in the House of Commons. The Liberal Democrats won in the Somerton and Frome constituency.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
