Rishi Sunak suffers double poll blow as recession hits UK

London | Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has suffered crushing defeats in two byelections in a new blow to its embattled leader, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose future has been questioned by critics within his fractious party.

Election results announced early on Friday showed the Conservatives had lost seats they had held in Kingswood, near Bristol, and in Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire – a district that had been regarded as one of the party’s more impregnable strongholds. Votes had been cast on Thursday to replace two Conservative MPs who had quit parliament.