London, 21 July (Hindustan). Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has suffered a major setback in the by-elections held in Britain. His Conservative Party lost two seats in the three-seat by-election. Sunak’s party has managed to save only one seat.
Last month, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from the membership of the Parliament following the parliamentary committee’s inquiry report on the Partygate scandal. His colleague Nigel Adams also resigned, leaving his seat in London vacant. By-elections were held on three seats including these two seats on Thursday. This by-election was projected as Sunak’s report card. Therefore Sunak’s position in the next year’s general election can be ascertained from this by-election, as the results of the by-election have not proved to be good for Sunak.
Sunak’s Conservative Party’s Steve Tuckwell has won London’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Here also his party won by only 495 votes. Sunak’s sole victory in London has been largely attributed to public anger against Labor mayor Sadiq Khan. The opposition Labor Party has won the Selby and Ainstey constituency in northern England. Here 25-year-old Keir Mather has become the youngest Member of Parliament.
Sunak’s party was handed a second crushing defeat by the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats won the Somerset and Frome by-elections in south-west England. Somerset councilor Sarah Dyke, from a farming background, won with 21,187 votes, while Faye Purbrick of the Conservatives had to be content with just 10,179 votes.
