British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a double blow on Friday with his party's loss of two by-election seats.
It was a major setback to his hopes of retaining the opposition Labour Party’s working-class “red wall” seats, which the party took in the 2019 general election.
The first results were announced about 4am, when the Wakefield seat, in the north of England, fell to the opposition Labour Party, with its candidate Simon Lightwood elected with a majority of 4,925 votes.
It was shortly followed by the loss of the Tiverton and Honiton seat to the Liberal Democrats — it was previously a deeply Conservative corner of Devon in south-west England.
Mr Johnson has said he will “listen” to voters but will “keep going” after the Tories suffered a double by-election defeat.
Richard Foord won the Tiverton and Honiton seat by a majority of 6,144 votes, overturning the 2019 Conservative majority of more than 24,000, the largest majority to ever be overturned in a by-election.
Within hours Oliver Dowden resigned as chairman of the Conservative Party in the wake of the results, saying in a letter to Mr Johnson that “someone must take responsibility”.
The contests, triggered by the resignation of disgraced Tories, offered voters the chance to give their verdict on the prime minister just weeks after 41 per cent of his own MPs cast their ballots against him in a confidence vote.
Mr Dowden, who was expected to appear on the morning media round for the government on Friday, said in his letter to the prime minister the by-elections “are the latest in a run of very poor results for our party”.
“Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.
“We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”
Mr Johnson sought to deflect from the by-election defeats being about his leadership.
He told broadcasters in Rwanda: “I think that what governments also have to recognise is that I don’t want to minimise the importance of what voters are saying, but it is also true that in mid-term, government, post-war, lose by-elections.
“I think if you look back to last May the truly astonishing thing was we managed to win Hartlepool in very different circumstances.
“What we need to do now is reflect on where voters are, and what they are basically feeling is that we came through Covid well and we took a lot of the right decisions there. But we are facing pressures on the costs of living.
“We are seeing spikes in fuel prices, energy costs, food costs, that is hitting people. We have to recognise that there is more that we have got to do and we certainly will, we will keep going addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said it is “important and right” the Conservatives have a “moment of reflection” following the by-election results while Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab described the losses in the by-elections were the result of a “perfect storm” of difficult scenarios, the headwinds of being a mid-term government and "distractions" such as Partygate.
The Liberal Democrats hailed the result as a “historic victory” and a “devastating blow” for those Conservative politicians who continue to prop up Boris Johnson.
In his victory speech, former Army major Mr Foord called on Mr Johnson to resign.
“Tonight, the people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for Britain," he said.
“They’ve sent a loud and clear message: It’s time for Boris Johnson to go and go now.
“Ours is a great country and there’s no greater part of it than Devon. But every day Boris Johnson clings to office, he brings further shame, chaos and neglect.”
The prime minister, who is at a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Rwanda, has already hit back at claims he should resign, calling them “crazy”, and said mid-term by-elections were “never necessarily easy for any government”.
The by-elections were triggered by the high-profile resignations of two Conservative politicians — one who admitted watching inappropriate material in parliament, and another found guilty of sexual assault.
Mr Johnson’s party won the industrial seat of Wakefield for the first time in 89 years in the last election.
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Prince Charles shakes hands with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, on June 24. PA -
Mr Johnson watches a dance at the opening ceremony. Leaders of Commonwealth countries come together every two years for the meeting. Getty Images -
The prime minister and Prince Charles. Getty Images -
Prince Charles delivers his speech during the opening ceremony. AP -
The prime minister and his wife Carrie Johnson. PA -
Senior officials from 53 countries are at the event to discuss global issues. PA -
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Ms Johnson. PA -
Mr Johnson said he hoped his visit would help people shed their 'condescending attitudes' to Rwanda after criticism of the UK government's plans to deport asylum seekers to the country. PA -
Prince Charles visits the village of Umusambi. He has criticised the asylum plan. EPA
The previous Wakefield MP, Imran Ahmad Khan, quit after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy ― a crime for which he was jailed for 18 months.
The loss to Labour comes a year after his party won a crushing victory in the northern England town of Hartlepool, breaking Labour's decades-long hold on the seat.
Mr Lightwood said: “The people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people.
“They have said, unreservedly: Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated.”
The Conservatives' defeat in Tiverton, which has voted Conservative at every election for about a century, will send shock waves through the party after it won the seat with a majority of about 25,000 votes only three years ago.
Mr Johnson’s popularity has declined after he broke lockdown rules to attend parties at Downing Street.
A government losing two by-elections on the same day is extremely rare.
The last time it happened was more than 30 years ago when the Conservative government of John Major lost the seat of Langbaurgh in Cleveland to Labour and also Kincardine and Deeside in east Scotland to the Liberal Democrats in 1991.
It is only the seventh time a government has suffered such a double defeat since the Second World War.
However, the last time the Tories suffered such a double defeat while in power, they went on to regain both seats five months later in the 1992 general election.
Former Conservative MP and minister Rory Stewart said Oliver Dowden’s resignation “feels like the beginning of the end” for Boris Johnson.
Sharing a copy of Mr Dowden’s resignation letter, he tweeted: “A devastating resignation for Boris Johnson because it comes from one of his earliest and most passionate supporters, who backed many of his cultural fights, and risked his reputation defending him for years.
“This feels like the beginning of the end.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has said he will discuss the by-election defeats at a Conservative AGM (Annual General Meeting) on Friday evening and expects to make “difficult decisions”.
The treasurer of the 1922 committee said the Conservatives will then have “some difficult decisions to make, no doubt” on how to move forward.
Cross-bench peer Victor Adebowale has said the prime minster will be “very worried” by the results.
“By-election results are often seen as a bellwether litmus test as to whether the government can maintain some sort of momentum, majority and empathy,” he told Times Radio.
“We have got another 18 months until another election and things move very fast, so 18 months in politics is a long time, so this is a complex adaptive condition, but no doubt Mr Johnson is very worried.”
For many Tory MPs, Mr Johnson’s key appeal is his ability to win elections by bringing in voters who may never have backed the Conservatives before.
The loss of two very different constituencies — one in the Red Wall, one in a rural Conservative heartland — will cause some of his MPs to wonder if his electoral magic has worn off.
Before the result, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had said a victory for his party “could be the birthplace of the next Labour government”.
The victory for his party will help to silence his critics who questioned his leadership after the loss of their Hartlepool seat last year.
He has also faced a difficult few weeks for his leadership amid anonymous shadow cabinet complaints about him being “boring”, the lingering threat of the Durham Police investigation into the beer and curry he consumed on the campaign trail during lockdown and Labour divisions over supporting striking rail workers.
Labour needs to win back seats in northern England if it is to have any chance of victory in the next general election, so the Wakefield success will provide some encouragement — although there remains a long way to go.
Boris Johnson through the years - in pictures
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Boris Johnson has had an eventful time during his life in politics and journalism. Here, 'The National' looks back at his life in pictures. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson attends the coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in May. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson leaves his home to attend a televised evidence session in March in front of the Commons Privileges Committee. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy address parliamentarians in Westminster Hall in February. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and Carrie Johnson arrive at Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson he announces his resignation as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street in July 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson at a press conference in response to the publication of the Sue Gray report into Partygate at Downing Street in May 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson reads the long-awaited report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the Downing Street party scandal, in his Downing Street office in May 2022. Photo: Downing Street -
Mr Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in central Kyiv in April 2022. The British prime minister paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv in a show of solidarity with Ukraine. AFP -
Mr Johnson watches an early morning police raid on a home in Liverpool as part of an operation to thwart drug dealing, in December, 2021. Getty Images -
The prime minister battles with his umbrella while with Prince Charles at The National Memorial Arboretum in July 2021, in Stafford, England. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and his wife before the Uefa European Championship final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium, London, in July last year. Getty Images -
The British prime minister with US President Joe Biden, European Council President Charles Michel, former Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, in June 2021. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson with his wife Carrie in the garden of 10 Downing Street after their wedding at Westminster Cathedral, in May last year. Getty Images -
Boris Johnson visits Hartlepool after Conservative Party candidate Jill Mortimer won a parliamentary by-election in May, 2021. Getty Images -
The prime minister after receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at St Thomas' Hospital in London in March, 2021. Getty Images -
Boris Johnson after signing a Brexit trade deal with the EU in December 2020. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson examines a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 candidate vaccine, at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Wrexham, Wales, in November 2020. Getty -
Mr Johnson demonstrating the two-metre distancing rule during his visit to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Upminster, East London, in August 2020. PA -
In this photo, published alongside the Sue Gray report into the Partygate affair, Mr Johnson is seen at a gathering in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street on his birthday in June, 2020. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and former chancellor Rishi Sunak use hand sanitiser during a visit to the Pizza Pilgrims restaurant in June 2020, in east London, to see how they are getting their business ready to reopen as coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted in England. PA -
Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds applaud key workers outside 10 Downing Street in May 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson in the Cabinet Room observing a minute's silence in April 2020 in a tribute to the health staff and key workers who died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA -
Boris Johnson appears on monitors for a meeting in March 2020. The prime minister chaired morning meetings on the coronavirus remotely from Number 11 Downing Street, while self-isolating after testing positive for the virus. Reuters -
Members of a family listen as BMr ris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from 10 Downing Street in March 2020, where he outlined the latest instructions to stay at home to help contain the Covid-19 outbreak. AFP -
Mr Johnson speaks to British troops stationed in Estonia during a one-day visit to the Baltic country in December 2019. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and Carrie Symonds enter Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory in December 2019. Getty -
Boris Johnson is greeted by staff at 10 Downing Street after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to form a new government in December 2012. PA -
Former US president Donald Trump and Mr Johnson arrive for a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit in August 2019 in Biarritz, France. Getty -
The queen welcomes Mr Johnson as the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, during an audience in July 2019. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson, then Britain's foreign secretary, stands in front of St Basil's Cathedral during a visit to Moscow's Red Square in December 2017. Getty -
Mr Johnson collides with a child during a Street Rugby tournament in Tokyo in 2015, held to mark Japan hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup -
As mayor of London Mr Johnson competes in a tug-of-war in October 2015. Getty Images -
The Olympic Flag is passed from Mr Johnson to IOC President Jacques Rogge during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images -
Mayor of London Boris Johnson with Prime Minister David Cameron during the lighting of the Paralympic Cauldron in Trafalgar Square, in August 2012. PA -
Boris Johnson gets stuck on a zip-line during a BT London Live event in Victoria Park in August 2012. Getty -
Mr Johnson and Lord Sebastian Coe cheer as a giant set of Olympic rings is displayed from Tower Bridge in June 2012, Getty Images -
Mr Johnson gestures attends a Harry Potter studio tour of Diagon Alley, at the Warner Brother Studios, London, in December 2011. AP Photo -
Mr Johnson at the launch of London's first cycle hire scheme in July 2010. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson with artists' impressions of the design for London's new Routemaster bus in May 2010. Getty Images -
The candidates to be mayor of London; Labour's Ken Livingstone, Conservative Boris Johnson and Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick, being questioned on BBC's 'Newsnight' programme in April 2008. Getty Images -
Boris Johnson on the North Pier in Blackpool during the Conservative Party conference there in October 2005. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson at his desk in 2000 while he was a journalist for 'The Telegraph'. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson when he was president of the Oxford Union society speaking to the Greek minister for culture Melina Mercouri when she addressed the union. Reuters -
Boris Johnson in September 1979, at Eton School. Shutterstock
