Markus Andrews

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership of the Conservative party suffered a heavy double blow as voters rejected the Tories in two by-elections.In the the southwestern constituency of Tiverton and Honiton, the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000 Conservative majority to win, while the main opposition Labour Party reclaimed Wakefield in northern England.The contests, triggered by the resignations of Conservatives hit by scandals, offered voters the chance to give their verdict on the prime minister just weeks after 41% of his own MPs cast their ballots against himLosing both special elections will increase jitters among restive Conservatives who already worry the ebullient but erratic and divisive Johnson is no longer an electoral asset. More

Labour has won the Wakefield by-election, a result which has dealt a significant blow to Boris Johnson on the same night the Conservatives lost the Tiverton and Honiton vote to the Lib Dems. Simon Lightwood becomes Labour’s newest MP after gaining 13,166 votes, compared to 8,241 for Conservative candidate Nadeem Ahmed. Wakefield was one of the so-called red wall seats won by the Tories with a majority of more than 3,000 in the 2019 general election after being a Labour stronghold since the 1930s.The by-election was triggered when ex-Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan quit after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy – a crime for which he was jailed for 18 months.In his victory speech, Mr Lightwood said: “Tonight the people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people. “They have said unreservedly, Boris Johnson your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated. Your government has no ideas, no plan to address the big issues facing our countries.” More

Boris Johnson’s authority has been dealt a double blow after the Tories suffered humiliating defeats in two parliamentary by-elections.Here’s all you need to know from the Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections: What happened?The contests in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and Tiverton and Honiton, Devon were triggered by Conservative MPs resigning in disgrace.Wakefield’s Imran Ahmad Khan quit as an MP after being convicted of sexual assault, a crime for which he received an 18-month jail term.Neil Parish quit his seat after being caught watching pornography in the House of Commons. He initially claimed to have been looking for a website about tractors.What were the results?Wakefield was won by the Tories in 2019 with a majority of 3,358 after being a Labour seat since the 1930s – albeit one that had become fairly marginal – so Simon Lightwood’s 4,925 vote victory is not a seismic shock.But Tiverton and Honiton had been won with a majority of more than 24,000 – Mr Parish had more than 60% of the vote – so the victory for the Liberal Democrats’ Richard Foord does represent a political earthquake.He took the seat with a majority of 6,144. More

Simon Case has admitted that he had “an informal conversation” with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s charity about potential “opportunities” for Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie.The cabinet secretary revealed that in 2020 he was prompted by a now-former member of the team at No 10 to ask the Royal Foundation about a position at the Earthshot Prize for Mr Johnson’s then-fiance.But Mr Case – who has close links to the Duke of Cambridge, being his former private secretary – insisted that he had not endorsed her for any paid work.He made the admissions in response to a letter from Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, who demanded that he explain his involvement in Mr Johnson’s alleged efforts to secure top jobs for Ms Johnson – and specifically whether he had approached the Royal Foundation.In response, Mr Case insisted there had been “no improper conduct”, saying: “I did not recommend Mrs Johnson for any role.“In autumn 2020 a former member of the Number 10 team asked about opportunities for Mrs Johnson with environmental charities.“I was happy to have an informal conversation with someone involved with the Earthshot Prize about what roles were available, as I would have done for anyone with relevant experience who was keen to get involved with charity work.” More

Boris Johnson has insisted he is not planning to ease restrictions on bosses’ pay or lift the cap on bankers’ bonuses as millions feel the strain of the cost-of-living crisis.The prime minister also said it remains “the plan” to raise corporation tax but sought to attribute the policy to chancellorRishi Sunak amid suggestions of a policy rift.A leaked letter seen by the i newspaper showed No 10 chief of staff Steve Barclay presenting a post-Brexit plan to remove pay restrictions on non-executive directors.And Mr Johnson, when he was London mayor in 2013, blasted a European Union rule limiting bankers’ bonuses to twice their salary as “possibly the most deluded measure to come from Europe since Diocletian tried to fix the price of groceries across the Roman Empire”.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of plotting “pay rises for City bankers, pay cuts for district nurses”.As the prime minister attended a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda on Thursday, he faced questions over whether he will use his new Brexit freedoms to allow bigger bonuses for bankers.“We’re not doing that. We have no plans for the measures you describe,” he said. More

Union boss Mike Lynch has said the government lorded rail workers as “heroes” during the pandemic, only to treat them as “out of fashion” now restrictions have lifted. Speaking on BBC One’s Question Time, the head of the RMT union said: “We were lorded as heroes by Grant Shapps, they worked all the way through the pandemic, they were not furloughed, and they kept our railway and transport systems going.“But what they’re being told now as a result of that, is that you’re out of fashion, you’re out of date, somehow the terms and conditions that we’ve negotiated over many years and we think are a fair deal…”He added: “We think that’s what every worker in Britain, in every business should have. But what we’re faced with now is a clampdown. And it’s a deliberate clampdown by the government… and they’re using the temporary phenomenon of Covid as an excuse to rip out and strip out terms and conditions.”The show, hosted by Fiona Bruce, comes after the union’s second day of industrial action this week over pay and working hours.RMT is expected to strike again on Saturday 25 June, with warnings of further walkouts later in the summer.Mr Lynch explained: “In some cases, the railway is saying to our members, you must have less wages going forward, not just against inflation but against existing salaries, and you must take a prescription which gives you extended working hours without compensation, five additional hours a week.”He went on to denounce the government, as presenter Ms Bruce tried to interrupt, saying: “I regret that we haven’t got a government that will allow companies to negotiate with us and I regret that we have not been able to make an agreement.” More

Vote counting is underway in two key by-elections, including the “red wall” seat of Wakefield and the Tory stronghold of Tiverton and Honiton.Boris Johnson’s Conservatives are on the defensive in both seats, with Sir Keir Starmer hoping to achieve a comeback in Wakefield, and the Liberal Democrats under Sir Ed Davey aiming for a major political upset in Tiverton and Honiton.While two by-elections taking place on the same day is fairly common, if the Tories lose both it will only be the seventh time a government has suffered a double defeat since the Second World War. It last happened 30 years ago in 1991 when Sir John Major was in No 10.Here The Independent looks at other by-election records and what figures to look out for after the results from Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton come in.Tiverton and HonitonVictory for the Liberal Democrats in the Devon seat of Tiverton and Honiton would require overturning an enormous Conservative majority of 24,239.The current record for the biggest majority overturned at a by-election is currently held by Liverpool Wavertree – way back in 1935, when Labour overturned a Tory majority of 23,972.If the Lib Dems pull off a victory on Thursday, they would steal the record. This of course would be in terms of raw voting numbers, rather than percentage swing, which is used as a sign of shifting support.The biggest by-election swing against a government in the last 30 years occurred in Christchurch in July 1993, with a 35.4 percentage point swing to the Liberal Democrats from the Conservatives.In second place is Sir Ed Davey’s party’s victory in the North Shropshire by-election in December 2021, where the Lib Dems defeated the Tories’ candidate with a 34.1pp swing.To win Tiverton and Honiton, the Lib Dems require a swing of just over 22pp. If the party manages a swing in Tiverton & Honiton of more than 25.4 points, it would rank as one of the 10 largest swings against a government since 1945 in a by-election which saw a change in both party and MP.WakefieldIn terms of by-election records, the main focus for Labour will be ending a 10-year spell of failing to gain a seat during a by-election.If Sir Keir Starmer seizes back the Yorkshire constituency of Wakefield — held continuously by Labour from 1932 until the 2019 election — it will be the party’s first by-election gain since Corby in 2012 when Ed Miliband was leader.At the time, Labour secured a swing of 12.6%, with Mr Miliband proclaiming it was a sign “Middle England is turning away from David Cameron and the Conservatives”. Just three years later the constituency returned to the Tories.Before the Corby by-election, Labour had not overturned a Tory majority since February 1997 — just months before Tony Blair’s landslide election win — with a swing of 17.2 per cent. Additional reporting by PA Media More

Boris Johnson has insisted he is “full of optimism and buoyancy” as he awaits the results of two by-elections which could have significant implications for his leadership.Polls have closed in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton after contests triggered by Conservative MPs resigning in disgrace.With Labour challenging the red wall seat in West Yorkshire and the Liberal Democrats hoping to overturn a huge Conservative majority in Devon, defeat for the Tories could raise further questions about Mr Johnson’s position, just weeks after 41 per cent of his MPs said they did not have confidence in him.The prime minister will be monitoring the results from Rwanda, where he is attending the Commonwealth leaders summit.Speaking to broadcasters in the capital Kigali, Mr Johnson said: “I’m going to be watching the results with interest but always full of optimism and buoyancy but most seasoned political observers know that by-elections in mid-term are never necessarily easy for any government.”He has suggested it would be “crazy” for him to quit if the party lost the two seats and claimed he was “very hopeful” about the results.In Wakefield, ex-Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan quit after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy – a crime for which he was jailed for 18 months. More