Just before the coronation of the new King Charles, the ruling Conservative Party suffered a crushing defeat in the UK’s by-elections.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party seems to be heading for a loss of more than a thousand seats, according to opinion polls. That was the worst case scenario the Conservative Party had ever imagined.
The elections held yesterday concern the leadership of 230 local governments, with more than 8,000 seats being distributed. This was the biggest test for the government ahead of parliamentary elections, which are likely to be held in 2024.
According to the first results, the party has lost 144 seats in the local government. The main opposition Labor Party won 96 and the Liberal Democrats gained 40 seats so far. The Conservative Party has so far lost a majority in five councils.
‘Difficult evening’
If the results are extended – and all polls indicate that – the Tories will lose more than a thousand local seats. Since taking office in October, Sunak has focused on restoring his party’s credibility after his predecessor Liz Truss held out for 49 days and the prime minister, Boris Johnson, resigned over multiple lies.
A member of the British Parliament on behalf of the Conservatives called it a ‘very difficult evening’, and it may get even more difficult. In the previous local elections in 2019, the Conservatives lost 1,300 seats. Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to resign.
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