Britain's opposition Labour Party scored a resounding victory in a vote for a parliamentary seat in northwest England on Friday, underlining the scale of the challenge facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to win a general election in the next two years.
Compounding the gloom for the Conservatives, who are trailing in nationwide polls and seemingly heading for defeat in a national election expected in 2024, one of the governing party's most experienced frontline politicians, Sajid Javid, said he planned to stand down.
