Boris Johnson cannot deny that he offered the best job to Carrie Symonds
The Conservatives have lost the two by-elections held on Thursday, with Labor winning Wakefield and the Lib Dems winning heavily in Tiverton and Honiton.
With the two results in quick succession in the early hours of Friday, Simon Lightwood won for Labor after securing 13,166 votes, up from Conservative candidate Nadeem Ahmed’s 8,241.
Richard Foord of the Liberal Democrats then won in Devon overturning a Conservative majority of 24,000.
Foord, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Honiton, called his victory “absolutely amazing”. Meanwhile, Simon Lightwood has said that “the next Labor government has been born tonight in this room” after his victory in West Yorkshire.
After the double loss, Conservative Party President Oliver Dowden resigned citing the results of the by-election saying, “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.”
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Oliver Dowden resigns as Conservative president after the Conservatives lost in the by-elections
Oliver Dowden has resigned as president of the Conservative Party after suffering two partial electoral defeats, saying in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that “someone has to take responsibility.”
Dowden said in his letter to the prime minister that the by-elections “are the latest in a series of very bad results for our party.”
“Our fans are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.
“We can’t go on with our business as usual. Someone has to take responsibility and I’ve come to the conclusion that, in these circumstances, it wouldn’t be right for him to continue in office.”
The deputy ended his letter by saying: “I want to emphasize that this is a deeply personal decision that I have made alone.
“As always, I will be loyal to the Conservative Party.”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 6:22 AM
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“Voters reject the prime minister,” says the former No. 10 councilor
Former No. 10 adviser Tim Montgomerie, creator of the Conservative Home website, said the result in Tiverton was “massive,” adding, “This is a crisis for the Conservative party.”
He told Sky News: “Voters are reacting to the character of the prime minister. They reject the character of the prime minister. And if the Conservative does not act soon … the whole Conservative party will be judged. We cannot let this situation continue.”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 6:12 AM
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Breakup: Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden resigns after double by-election
Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden has submitted his resignation letter following the Conservative double-digit defeat in the by-elections.
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:55 AM
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“The next Labor government has been born” – Lightwood
New Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood stated that “the next Labor government has been born in this room tonight”.
In his speech after being announced the winner of the West Yorkshire by-election, he said: “Tonight, 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. “
Labor candidate Simon Lightwood wins by-election in Wakefield
(Reuters)
“It’s not acceptable for a quarter of our children in Wakefield to live in poverty, it’s not acceptable for hundreds of people to leave A&E every month without being cared for due to record NHS waiting times, and it’s not acceptable that convictions for crimes such as theft have dropped by almost half in the last five years.
“The people of Wakefield and across the country are fed up with the deception and dishonesty of this government.”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:51 AM
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Conservatives gave a “ton of attention” with a double defeat in the Tiverton and Wakefield by-elections
The Liberal Democrats won in Devon, when Richard Foord won a Conservative majority of 24,239 votes, the largest ever annulled in a by-election.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was the “biggest partial election victory our country has ever seen”, adding that the result should be a “wake-up call” to Conservative MPs on the leadership of Mr. Johnson.
Labor MP Simon Robert Lightwood won in Wakefield after winning the West Yorkshire seat by almost 5,000 votes, nullifying a small Conservative lead of 3,358 votes.
Read the details in this joint report by Holly Bancroft and Adam Forrest:
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:36 AM
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Workers are “rebuilding the red wall,” Lightwood says
Simon Lightwood, the newly elected Wakefield MP, told reporters that Labor was “rebuilding the red wall” and that the biggest problem at the door throughout the campaign had been the cost-of-living crisis.
When asked what the victory would mean for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, he said: “I think it says a lot. We are rebuilding the red wall and this is the cradle of the next Labor government.”
Simon Lightwood in a counting center after a by-election in Wakefield
(Reuters)
Lightwood added: “We are rebuilding the confidence of the electorate and people are ready to start again. They are fed up with all the lies and deceptions of Boris Johnson and we offer this alternative view.”
Asked if the success would translate into other red-walled seats in the north, he said, “I think we can be sure of that.”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:27 AM
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“This result is absolutely amazing,” Foord says
Richard Foord, winner of the Tiverton and Honiton Liberal Democrats, told The Independent that the party did not expect a victory of this scale.
“This result is absolutely amazing,” he said. “We did not expect a victory, let alone a victory of this magnitude.
“We had noticed that the momentum has been shifting from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats throughout this campaign and especially in recent days due to the very positive agenda we were setting out, but this is absolutely seismic, we have fallen the biggest majority in electoral history.
“There is a very clear trend in the Blue Wall constituencies that people look at the positive proposals of the Liberal Democrats and vote for the Lib Dems.
“I certainly think some lifelong Conservatives might not support the idea of voting for the Conservative Party while it is led by Boris Johnson and therefore in terms of maintaining its support, regardless of what happens in the party’s internal politics. Conservative, I will work. It ‘s really very difficult to represent all voters. ”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:12 AM
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Labor and Liberals urged working together in the general election
Naomi Smith, executive director of Best for Britain, campaigning for the anti-conservative electoral pact, said majorities in both by-elections “could not have been annulled without a tactical vote and an unofficial electoral pact between the parties. the opposition “.
Urging Keir Starmer and Ed Davey to collaborate, he added: “Labor and Liberals should not rest on their laurels, repeating this success will be much more difficult in a general election. Our polls show they will have to work hard. work to defeat the government. “
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 5:00 p.m.
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Davey: “The public is sick of Johnson’s lies and violations of the law”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticized the Conservatives after his party won a landslide victory over Tiverton and Honiton.
“The Liberal Democrats have made political history with this amazing victory. It is the biggest partial election victory our country has ever seen,” he said.
“This should be a wake-up call for all those Conservative MPs who support Boris Johnson. You can’t afford to ignore this result.
“The people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for the country.
“The public is fed up with the lies and violations of Boris Johnson’s law and it’s time for Conservative MPs to finally do the right thing and dismiss him.”
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 4:58 AM
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What happens to Boris Johnson after the double by-election?
Here is a breakdown of the results of the Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections for Boris Johnson:
Namita Singh June 24, 2022 4:39 AM