The latest losses for the Tories mean that they have now suffered the highest number of by-election losses in a single Parliament since 1960.
The Tories have suffered yet more humiliation after the Labour Party secured comfortable wins in both the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections.
The latest losses for the Tories mean that they have now suffered the highest number of by-election losses in a single Parliament since 1960.
In Wellingborough, the Labour party overcame a majority of more than 18,500 to take the seat. The swing of 28.5% was the second biggest from the Tories to Labour in any post-war by-election, meaning that newly elected Labour MP Gen Kitchen took the seat which had been held by ousted Tory MP Peter Bone since 2005.
In Kingswood, the Labour Party overturned a majority of 11,000 with a swing of 16.4%, with Damien Egan becoming the constituency’s new MP.
Reacting to the news, Lord Gavin Barwell, a former Conservative MP who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff in No 10, described the Wellingborough result as ‘catastrophically bad’.
He posted on X: “The Kingswood result is bad but not that bad (Labour lead smaller than at the 2005 general election); the Wellingborough result is catastrophically bad.
“And both by elections confirm the Conservatives are facing a perfect storm, losing voters to both Labour and Reform.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer hailed the “fantastic” results, insisting they demonstrate people “want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it”.
He added: “By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.
“The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.
“Those who gave us their trust in Kingswood and Wellingborough, and those considering doing so, can be safe in the knowledge that we will spend every day working to get Britain’s future back.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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