Conservatives lose two by-elections after huge swings towards Labour

Rishi Sunak has suffered a double defeat at the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections, with Sir Keir Starmer hailing the results as a sign the public wants change.

The twin blows will compound the Prime Minister's woes, coming the day after it was officially announced that the UK had entered a recession at the end of 2023, and mean the Conservatives have suffered more by-election defeats than in any single Parliament since the Second World War.

Labour overturned majorities of 11,220 and 18,540, delivering the Government's ninth and tenth by-election defeats of the current Parliament and securing its second largest swing from the Conservatives ever.

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Gen Kitchen secured Wellingborough with 45.8% of the vote, while Damien Egan won Kingswood with 44.9% of the vote. The results provided Labour with a boost after a U-turn on the party's pledge to spend £28 billion on green projects and an antisemitism row that forced it to drop its candidate for another by-election in Rochdale in two weeks' time.

Reacting to the victories, Sir Keir said: "These are fantastic results in Kingswood and Wellingborough that show people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it. 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