Chris Webb (centre), new Labor MP for Blackpool South, reacts as his victory is announced at the Count Center in Blackpool, northwest England, during the Blackpool South by-election on May 3, 2024.
Oli Scarff | Afp | Getty Images
LONDON – British leader Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party suffered significant losses overnight in a spate of local elections, a closely watched sentiment indicator ahead of the nationwide vote expected later this year.
The opposition Labor Party won a by-election in Blackpool South, taking the seat from the Conservatives. New Labor MP Chris Webb beat his Conservative rival David Jones with a significant gain of 26%. Third place went to the Reform UK party, founded by Brexit supporter Nigel Farage.
The by-election in the northern city was called following former Conservative MP Scott Benton’s resignation from the party after he was caught offering to lobby for money on behalf of gambling investors.
Labor leader Keir Starmer wrote on social media platform X that the “swing towards Labor in Blackpool South is historic”.
“Britain demands change. It is time for general elections,” he added.
Angela Richardson, deputy leader of the Conservative Party, told the BBC the result was “not unexpected”, particularly given the circumstances that triggered the by-election.
Labor also made significant gains in smaller local elections across England. It took control of four councils – Hartlepool, Thurrock, Redditch and Rushmoor – while the Conservatives lost three. Further council results are due.
The votes are likely to be the last major political test for Sunak’s party before the general election. A date for the vote has not yet been set, but it must take place before January 28, 2025, and the Prime Minister said in January that he “workingly expected” it would take place in the second half of this year.
Thursday’s by-election is the 11th the Conservative Party has lost since the 2019 general election.
Philip Rycroft, the former secretary of state for leaving the European Union, told CNBC on Friday that the results were a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
In Blackpool, the Conservatives “narrowly missed being beaten into third place by Reform, so they were pretty level with the Reform party in this by-election,” he said. “So overall, a tough evening for the Conservatives.”
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2024-05-03 09:38:19
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