Labour clinches two by-election wins in Kingswood and Wellingborough

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party suffered a severe blow on Friday, ceding two safe seats to Labour in what the opposition party hopes is a harbinger of victory at the general election expected this year.

Labour overturned Tory majorities of 18,500 in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire and 11,200 in Kingswood in South Gloucestershire. While by-elections do not always provide an accurate picture of what will happen at a nationwide election, the results point to growing disaffection with the Conservatives.

In Wellingborough, Labour clinched a 28.6 per cent swing, its second largest since the second world war. The party received 13,844 votes to the Conservatives’ 7,408, while Reform UK secured 3,919 votes.

In Kingswood, Labour secured a 16 per cent swing. The party won 11,176 votes, while the Tories took 8,675. Reform UK came in third with 2,578 votes.

Labour has secured a string of by-election wins in recent months, having now taken six seats from the Conservatives since July.

Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, said: “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.”

The results will come as a relief to Starmer, who has suffered one of the most challenging fortnights of his leadership.

The Labour leader faced criticism for abandoning a pledge to spend £28bn a year on green investment and sparked anger from the left and right of his party after he dithered before suspending two party…