Rishi Sunak has called on all those on the right of politics to “come together” – with him – after disastrous double defeats in the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections.
The Tories lost votes to Labour and a strengthened Reform UK, the successor to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.
The results mean the government has suffered more by-election losses than any administration since the 1960s, surpassing John Major’s eight defeats.
Mr Sunak sought to play down the losses, blaming “challenging” circumstances which led to each vote.
But he has now called on right-wing and Conservative voters to unite behind him to prevent Sir Keir Starmer winning the keys to Number 10.
In an article in the Telegraph, he said: “At the next election, I will need the support of everyone who wants lower taxes and secure borders because the alternative, Keir Starmer, believes in neither of those things.
“The Conservative family must come together to defeat Labour and ensure a brighter future for our country. A vote for anyone other than the Conservatives will just help Starmer.”
Mr Sunak has come under pressure to change course from many within the so-called ‘five families’ inside his own party, including the New Conservatives who on Friday called on him to “change course”.
The by-elections were called after former Tory MP Peter Bone was found to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct, while ex-minister Chris Skidmore resigned in protest at plans to boost drilling for fossil fuels in the North Sea.
Polls opened at the same moment that official figures showed the UK slipped into recession at the end of last year.
Earlier in the week there had been some good news for the Tories, as the rate of inflation defied expectations to hold steady.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on the wider conservative movement to unite to keep Sir Keir Starmer out of Number 10 (Dan Kitwood/PA)
The party also received a major boost when Labour was forced to dump its candidate in a separate by-election, in Rochdale at the end of the month, after he said Israel had allowed the Hamas massacre that killed 1,200.
But Labour romped to victory in both of Thursday’s votes, leading Sir Keir to say the results showed “the country is crying out for change”. “Things aren’t working. Their NHS isn’t working. They’ve got a cost-of-living crisis. I think they’ve concluded that the Tories have failed after 14 years.”
In the wake of the defeats, Mr Sunak is facing further pressure from within the right of his party to bring in tax cuts in the Budget and take a harder stance on immigration.
Many Tory MPs are concerned that while Reform is unlikely to win any seats in this year’s general election it has the ability to take enough votes in certain constituencies to ensure they switch to Labour.
Labour overturned majorities of 11,220 and 18,540 with the results, the government’s ninth and 10th by-election defeats of the current parliament.
But Reform scored more than 10% of the vote for the first time in a by-election, mirroring an increase of support for the party in opinion polls.
