Rishi Sunak, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, lost two key by-elections on Thursday, as voters delivered a damning verdict on the Conservative government.
In Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, the Conservatives lost to the Liberal Democrats by a margin of 6,144 votes. In Wakefield in West Yorkshire, the Conservatives lost to Labour by a margin of 4,925 votes.
The losses are a major blow to Sunak and the Conservative government, which has been battered by a series of scandals in recent months. In May, Sunak was fined by the police for attending a party during the COVID-19 lockdown. He has also been criticized for his handling of the cost-of-living crisis.
The by-election results suggest that the Conservative government is losing the support of voters. A poll conducted by YouGov on Thursday found that Labour is now ahead of the Conservatives by 10 points.
Sunak is seen as a potential successor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, the by-election losses will likely put his leadership under pressure.
In a statement, Sunak said that he was "humbled" by the results. He said that the government would "listen" to the voters and "work harder to earn their trust."
However, it is unclear how the government can recover from these losses. The cost-of-living crisis is likely to continue to be a major issue for voters, and the Conservative government is already seen as being out of touch.
The by-election results are a major setback for Sunak and the Conservative government. They suggest that the government is losing the support of voters, and that it may be facing an electoral defeat at the next general election.