Boris Johnson has described the double by-election defeats as 'tough' as he thanked Oliver Dowden who has resigned as Conservative Party co-chairman. In Tiverton and Honiton the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000 Tory majority to win, while Labour reclaimed Wakefield.
Speaking to broadcasters in Kigali, Rwanda, the Prime Minister said: “It’s absolutely true we’ve had some tough by-election results, they’ve been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things, but we’ve got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment.
“I think, as a Government, I’ve got to listen to what people are saying, in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which, I think, for most people is the number one issue.
“We’re now facing pressures on the cost of living, we’re seeing spikes in fuel prices, energy costs, food costs – that’s hitting people.
“We’ve got to recognise there is more we’ve got to do and we certainly will, we will keep going, addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said the Tiverton and Honiton by-election result shows “Boris Johnson really must be pushed out”.
Mr Johnson, who is at a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Rwanda, suggested it would be “crazy” for him to quit if the party lost the two seats and said mid-term by-elections were “never necessarily easy for any government”.
Tory peer Lord Barwell, who was Theresa May’s chief of staff in No 10, said if the Conservative Party carries on as it is, it is “sleepwalking to a defeat at the next election”. He told Sky News he was “very pleased” someone senior in the party seemed to have “finally” recognised this and done something about it, as Oliver Dowden resigned as Tory chairman.
He said Boris Johnson’s authority is “very significantly diminished” and “draining away”. Lord Barwell said Cabinet ministers have got to ask themselves what it does to their own reputations if they continue to stand by him.
“The evidence is mounting up that he has lost the support of the public that he once had, that it looks extraordinarily unlikely that he’s going to be able to win that back,” he said. “So, if they allow him to carry on, then they’re going to allow him to lead the Conservative Party to a significant defeat at the next election.”
