[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The ruling Conservative Party is expected to face a significant blow as the main opposition Labour Party secured a landslide victory in the by-election held after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took office.
In the City of Chester by-election held on the 1st (local time), Labour candidate Samantha Dixon won with 61% of the vote, defeating the Conservative candidate who received 22%, according to reports from BBC and ABC News.
Foreign media reported that in the 2019 general election, 13.8% of Conservative supporters switched to Labour, marking the worst performance for the Conservatives since 1832.
Prior to the election, opinion polls showed Labour significantly ahead of the Conservatives, making this by-election defeat somewhat predictable.
Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, described the election result as a failure of Prime Minister Sunak, stating, "It shows that voters want a Labour government."
The City of Chester in northern England held the by-election after the incumbent Labour MP resigned last October due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Polling expert John Curtice said in a BBC Radio interview, "If 12% of Conservative supporters switch to Labour in the next general election, Labour will become the majority party by a narrow margin."
He added that Prime Minister Sunak must have realized once again that there is a lot of work to do to make the Conservatives appear capable of winning the next general election. Meanwhile, Conservative MP Sajid Javid, who previously served as Health and Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced he will not stand in the next general election.
The Conservative Party has notified current MPs to declare whether they will run in the next election. Javid served as Health Secretary under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and resigned alongside Sunak.
AP News reported that the Conservative Party has suffered a shocking drop in support amid widespread criticism following the disgraceful resignation of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the Partygate scandal and the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss, who resigned after just 44 days due to backlash over her tax cut plans.
The Sunak cabinet announced new tax increases and austerity measures to tackle economic crises such as inflation, but the economic outlook remains bleak. Inflation reached 11.1% last month, and millions of workers, including those in the railway unions, are striking to demand wage increases.
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