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Labour’s Gen Kitchen overturns 19,000 Tory majority to win Wellingborough by-election

2024-02-18 00:00:00.0 独立报-英国新闻原网页

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Labour has won the Wellingborough by-election, with candidate Gen Kitchen overturning a Tory majority of 19,000 in the seat.

The 28-year-old secured 13,844 votes, beating Tory candidate Helen Harrison by a margin of more than 6,000.

The win is a huge boost for Sir Keir Starmer, with the seat last turning red in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 election win. Party figures believe winning Wellingborough puts the Labour leader on course for a landslide win in the general election expected this autumn.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer campaigns with the party’s candidate Gen Kitchen

" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/02/13/14/POLITICS%20ByElection%20%20%2012464910.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/02/13/14/POLITICS%20ByElection%20%20%2012464910.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/02/13/14/POLITICS%20ByElection%20%20%2012464910.jpg" data-gallery-length="3" class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" pinger-seen="true">

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer campaigns with the party’s candidate Gen Kitchen

(PA)

Labour sources pointed to the huge 28.5 per cent swing from the Tories to Labour, the second largest swing from Tory to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War, saying that if the trend was replicated at a general election the Tories would hold just four seats. The result is also the largest drop in the Conservative vote share ever in a by-election, surpassing Christchurch in 1993.

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And the back to back losses mean the Conservatives have suffered more by-election defeats in this Parliament than any previous government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats experienced by John Major between 1992 and 1997.

And, just hours after confirmation Britain has fallen into a recession, it marks another major blow for Rishi Sunak, whose premiership has been rocked by a series of devastating by-election losses.

The by-election was called after disgraced ex-MP Peter Bone was booted out of parliament for indecently exposing himself to a staff member and trapping him in a hotel bathroom.

Mr Sunak’s hopes of retaining the seat, which has been held by the Conservatives since 2005, were shattered by the selection of Ms Harrison, Mr Bone’s partner of several years.

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