Britain’s ruling Conservatives lost a parliamentary seat to the main Labour opposition on Friday, as the country awaited local election results that are expected to further pressure on embattled leader Rishi Sunak.
Labour grabbed the constituency of Blackpool South in northwest England, the Tories’ latest by-election defeat as they appear to be on track to lose the 2019 general election.
The vote, prompted by a lobbying scandal that forced the area’s Conservative MP to quit, took place on Thursday as voters cast votes in a variety of council, mayoral, and other local elections across England.
Labour’s Chris Webb won by a margin of 26.3 percent, the third-largest swing from Conservative to Labour in a by-election after World War II.
“This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today,” said Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is widely expected to become Britain’s next prime minister.
The polls are the final big ballot box test before Sunak faces the country in a nationwide election scheduled in the second half of the year.
His ruling Tories, who have been in power nationwide since 2010 and are defending hundreds of seats won in the previous local elections in 2021, are expected to suffer significant losses.
Early results revealed that Labour was gaining council seats, but all eyes were on critical regional and London mayor races, with results anticipated later Friday and Saturday.
Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, is set to easily win a record third term, but mayoral races in the West Midlands and Tees Valley in northeast England are expected to be close.
A victory for the Labour opposition in either of the areas, which contain bellwether constituencies, would be interpreted as further evidence that voters are ready to return the party to power nationally.
Some Tory legislators in the UK parliament at Westminster are considering replacing Sunak, who has been in charge since October 2022, due to poor performance.
Wins for the current Tory mayors of the West Midlands and Tees Valley, Andy Street and Ben Houchen, would reinforce their optimism that the embattled leader can still turn things around.
However, with the Tories under pressure nationwide on problems ranging from water pollution to transportation and inflation, Street and Houchen appear to have distanced themselves from the party during the campaign.
Pollsters predict that the Conservatives will lose around half of the over 1,000 council seats they are defending in cities, towns, and districts across England.
Worryingly for Sunak, the Conservatives only finished second in Blackpool South, trailing the fringe Reform UK party, which threatens to splinter the right-wing vote in the general election.