It seems that the Conservative Party led by the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lose many seats in the by-elections in Britain. This is evident from Friday’s preliminary results, which include, among others BBC reports. The UK’s top pollster, according to the Reuters news agency, predicts that the Conservatives could lose a total of around 1,000 seats – a figure consistent with the worst-case scenario previously outlined by the ruling party.
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Read also: Elections in England are a measure of the popularity of Prime Minister Sunak
The British went to the polls to elect 230 members and four mayors. In total there are more than eight thousand seats to be allocated. Less than half of all results were received on Friday afternoon. At that time the Conservative Party had already lost more than 250 seats. The Labor Party is currently making the biggest gains, and the Liberal Democrats seem to be doing very well.
This election is the first major measure of Sunak’s popularity since he became prime minister. And it may be the last until the new parliamentary elections that are likely to take place next year. It now appears that British voters are holding Sunak’s party accountable for the political scandals of its predecessors and the country’s deteriorating economic situation, although it is not uncommon for ruling parties to lose in by-elections.
There was no vote in London, Scotland and Wales on Thursday. Local elections in Northern Ireland take place in two weeks.
