Rishi Sunak faced back to back of major setbacks as Labour snatched victory in the Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth by-elections.
Securing two of the biggest by-election wins in British history, Sir Keir Starmer’s party took the blue wall Mid Bedfordshire seat from the Tories for the first time. And, Labour’s
Nadine Dorries won the seat in 2019 with a majority of 24,664, and the Conservatives have held Mid Bedfordshire since 1931.
But Labour candidate Alistair Strathern won the seat with 13,872 votes compared with Tory candidate Festus Akinbusoye securing 12,680 – a majority of 1,192.
And, as Labour enjoys a significant poll lead nationally and local outrage at Ms Dorries’ resignation this summer, Mr Sunak’s party lost the seat.
Tory former chancellor George Osborne warned the Conservatives were facing “Armageddon” if they lost Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth. And the loss of the two historically safe seats will raise fears of a wipeout for the party at a general election, expected next year.
Both major parties had sought to manage expectations in the hours running up to the result, with Labour claiming it would be a “long shot” while the Conservatives said “government’s don’t win by-elections”.
But, following the party’s by-election wins in Selby and Ainsty and Rutherglen and Hamilton West, the victory sets Sir Keir on a clear path to becoming PM.
The result in Mid Bedfordshire came just moments after Mr Sunak faced a major blow, with Labour overturning a huge majority in Tamworth.
Sir Keir hailed the back to back wins as “phenomenal results” and said Labour is “redrawing the political map”.
“Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it,” he said.
Sir Keir added: “Voters across Mid Bedfordshire, Tamworth and Britain want a Labour government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country.
“To those who have given us their trust, and those considering doing so, Labour will spend every day acting in your interests and focused on your priorities. Labour will give Britain its future back.”
Luke Tryl, UK director at the More in Common group, said the Tories should be “very worried” after the double by-election losses.
Mr Tryl told The Independent: “It’s not just that Labour have won two of the safest seats in the country it’s that they have overcome real electoral barriers to do so.
“In Mid Bedfordshire Labour won even despite a split in the anti-Tory vote with the Liberal Democrats and in Tamworth they won a heavily Brexit voting seat which has trended away from Labour at an alarming rate since the party last held it in 2005.”
While noting that by-elections are not the same as general elections, Mr Tryl said that without a significant economic turnaround in the coming year, the Conservatives should be “very worried”.
“And even that may not be enough,” he said.
