Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party suffers another electoral defeat. party chair finish

He coined it “we can’t carry on with business as usual.” in a message to the Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson survived but was weakened by a vote of no confidence

his resignation This came hours after the Conservatives lost seats to the opposition Labor Party and the Liberal Democrats in parts of the country, where defeats will raise tensions in the Conservative ranks and renew questions about Johnson’s leadership.

Johnson, who is in Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, told reporters on Friday he would “listen” to voters but promised to “keep on”. Johnson is out of the country for several days. After the Commonwealth summit, he heads to Germany for the G7 meeting and then to Spain for the NATO summit.

The Prime Minister’s Conservatives were struggling at the polls amid a cost-of-living crisis and revelations that he and his staff had breached covid lockdown rules, which led to Johnson becoming the first British Prime Minister to be fined while in office.

Rishi Sunak, Minister of the Treasury, chirp Johnson’s support. “We all take responsibility for the results and I am determined to continue working to address the cost of living,” he said. Sunak was once seen as a potential successor to Johnson, but his star has waned in recent months.

Others, including former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, said Johnson should resign “for the good of the country”. He told the BBC that it might be time for the Conservative Party to change its rules, as it could, to enable leadership of another challenge.

Johnson recently won a cliffhanger award Vote of no confidence At his command, they were called by disgruntled colleagues who wanted to overthrow him. Under current rules, no further vote can be held for a year.

Parliamentary special elections have been held twice next High-profile resignations by conservative lawmakers. Neil Parrish, MP for Tiverton and Honton, resigned after he was caught watching pornography in the House of Commons. Imran Ahmed Khan of Wakefield has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage boy.

They represented only two seats in the 650-seat parliament where the Conservatives dominate. But losses would be worrying for the party, with signs of a tactical anti-Conservative vote and defeats in symbolic constituencies.

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In the seats of Tiverton and Honiton in southwest England, The Liberal Democrats won 53 percent of the vote, compared to the Conservatives’ 39 percent. The loss of this area, sometimes called the “blue wall” because of its historic support of the Conservatives – Tiverton’s conservative voice for more than a century – raises questions about other Tory seats that are thought to be too safe.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey hailed the decision as “the biggest by-election victory our country has ever seen.” This is the third time in the past year that the Liberal Democrats have taken seats from the Conservatives in areas that previously had a healthy Tory majority.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Labor Party won in Wakefield, a former industrial district in northern England – part of Labour’s northern “red wall” district that Johnson’s Conservative party won in the 2019 general election with a pledge to “end Brexit” European Union”. . Analysts said the outcome of this district was less about voter enthusiasm for Labor than it was about Conservative voter discontent. They also said there were indications of a tactical vote by Labor and the Liberal Democrats that could harm the Conservatives if repeated in the upcoming elections.

“Johnson’s problem is not just that he has lost popularity,” said John Curtis, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde. In the five seats that have been rolled out since Johnson led his party to a landslide majority in 2019, it is “absolutely clear that opposition voters are prepared to vote for who is better than defeating the Conservatives domestically”. In some cases where work has been done; In other countries, the Liberal Democrats.

Curtis said that if there was an election today, it would Latest polls It suggests that no party will win outright, which means that the major political parties will need allies to accumulate a majority.

The Conservative Party’s lack of allies will be of critical importance. If the Conservatives can’t get a majority or something in the next election, they are full,” he said. The next general election is scheduled for January 2025.