By-elections: Rishi Sunak says next election is not a done deal
Rishi Sunak has held on to Boris Johnson’s former seat in Uxbridge – a win widely seen as a result of Ulez – despite suffering two painful by-election blows.
The race in the former PM’s constituency went down to the wire as a recount in the small hours of Friday – but it was Mr Sunak’s party who clung on, saving him from a “disastrous” triple by-election defeat in something of an embarrassment for Sir Keir Starmer.
But Tory MPs warned Mr Sunak that Labour is on course for general election victory after the double drubbing in Selby and Somerton by elections.
Nigel Mills, Tory MP for Amber Valley in Derbyshire, told The Independent the Selby result was “clearly not good” and meant “red wall” colleagues across the north and Midlands would worry about losing their own seats.
“It reinforces that we’re in a really difficult position. Nobody is in any doubt we have a battle in our hands. If you lose a 20,000 majority and the opposition poll 20 points ahead of you then you’re going to lose a hell of a lot of seats.”
