By-elections LIVE: Rishi Sunak responds to devastating double blow as Starmer admits ‘bumpy’ Rochdale campaign

A vote for anyone except the Conservatives is a vote for Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister has said.

Rishi Sunak told reporters the actual choice at the general election is “between me and him”, referring to the Labour leader.

Following the double by-election defeat, Mr Sunak was asked whether he was more concerned about Reform UK or Labour and said: “A vote for anyone who isn’t the Conservative candidate, whether that’s Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.

“That’s the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the Conservatives and Labour.

“Now I believe our plan is working. At the start of this year we’re heading in the right direction, taxes are coming down, inflation is falling, and if we stick with that plan we can deliver everyone a brighter future.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the circumstances surrounding the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections were “particularly challenging” after the Tories suffered a double defeat to Labour at the polls.

The by-election in Kingswood was called after former MP Chris Skidmore stepped down in protest against the government plans for oil and gas in the North Sea.

Meanwhile, The by-election in Wellingborough 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.

The results mean the government has now suffered the most by-election defeats of any government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats suffered by John Major in the run-up to Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory.

Sir Keir Starmer acted “quickly and decisively” to remove Labour’s candidate for the Rochdale by-election, the party’s national campaign coordinator said.

An antisemitism row forced the Labour leader to drop Azhar Ali for the by-election on February 29, after it emerged he had allegedly blamed “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters” for the suspension of a pro-Palestinian MP.

Speaking to LBC on Friday, Pat McFadden said: “It’s not an easy thing to withdraw support from a candidate in a by-election after nominations have closed but he acted quickly and decisively to do that and that underlines the change that’s been made in the Labour party in recent years.”

He added: “We didn’t have the full story before us on Sunday, by Monday we did, and then we took the action. We acted very quickly on this.”

Sir Keir Starmer said Labour are “credible contenders” for the 2024 general election, but “that is all we are.”

“I’m very proud of that result, I’m proud of the work I’ve done as leader,” the Labour leader told BBC Breakfast.

“The progress we’ve now made from the worst results since 1935 to being now credible contenders, and that is all we are, for the 2024 election – I have to say, when I took over as leader most people shook my hand and said: ‘Good luck Keir,’ and in the next breath they said: ‘You will never do this in one five-year parliamentary term.’

“We’re trying to do, if you like, what Kinnock, what Smith and Blair did, over 13 or 14 years, in four short years.”

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Sir Keir Starmer said the results of yesterday’s by-elections is an indication that the country is “crying out for change”.

“I think there is a message now from these by-elections,” the Labour leader said.

“I think the country is crying out for change. Everybody knows things aren’t working. Their NHS isn’t working, they’ve got a cost of living crisis.

“I think they’ve concluded that the Tories have failed after 14 years they can see now that the Labour Party has changed. It’s a different party to the party it was in 2019 and they can see we’ve got the answers to their problems.”

This is the moment Labour’s Gen Kitchen wins the Wellingborough by-election, overturning a Conservative majority of more than 18,500.

Ms Kitchen said she was “ecstatic” at the result, and the double by-election win for Labour shows people are “fed up” and want change.

The candidate said she cut short her honeymoon to begin campaigning when she was told former Conservative MP Peter Bone had been suspended from the Commons.

She was announced as the winner on Friday just over two hours after Labour also triumphed at Kingswood and she achieved the second-largest swing from Tory to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War.

Top polling guru Sir John Curtice has sent the Conservatives a stark warning following their disaster double by-election defeat, stating the party is in “deep, deep electoral trouble”.

Sir John told the BBC that although the 21-point drop in Kingswood is in line with what the party are currently suffering in the opinion polls, it is the Wellingborough result of 37-38 points that is “the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever managed to suffer in a post-war by-election”.

The pollster acknowledged that the “circumstances around Peter Bone’s downfall” may have added to the losses, but that “this morning, we are still looking at a government that, at the moment, is staring defeat in the face”.

Sir John said: “[This] confirms that the Conservatives are still in deep, deep electoral trouble.

Reform UK want to see Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street, the Conservative Party chairman said.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Richard Holden said: “Their ambition is to block Conservatives winning seats and therefore put Keir Starmer into Downing Street.

“They’ve made it very clear, you’ve read out that statement from them, that’s what Reform UK want to do, they want to see Keir Starmer in Downing Street and not have a Conservative government.”

He added: “Reform aren’t challenging realistically for seats. This general elections is going to be a battle between the Conservatives and the Labour Party.

“All Reform are going to do, as they’ve said themselves, is help put Keir Starmer and Labour into Downing Street.”

Asked if Prime Minister Rishi Sunak needs to appease the right of the Conservative Party, Mr Holden said: “If the right of the British politics and the centre and centre-right – that broad church which is the Conservative Party – doesn’t unite, then we will see a Labour victory.”

He added: “I believe we have every opportunity to win the next general election, I think we definitely can do it, but that means we have got to come together as a party, unite in the best interests of the country, deliver those things that we’ve promised, work together as a party to do that.”

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said both by-election results were “very disappointing”.

Mr Holden told Sky News: “Very disappointing results – no need to shy away from that – in both Kingswood and Wellingborough.

“I think one of the most disappointing things for me though is the turnout in the by-elections was so significantly down compared to the previous general elections in both seats. I want to see people actively participating in democracy.

“I think that shows we’ve got a lot to do to get people out there and enthused to vote again, and probably the Opposition have a similar challenge.”

He added: “I think we’ve got to look at both these by-elections in the context in which they happened as well.

“We had an MP in Kingswood who stood down and also obviously in Wellingborough we had a parliamentary investigation, which led to a recall petition which led to an MP being forced to stand down.

“Not ideal circumstances for any form of by-election for any party.”

He also told BBC Breakfast that people were “keeping their vote at home” and insisted voters stayed at home rather than switching their votes.

This is the moment Labour’s Damien Egan is announced as the winner of the Kingswood by-election.

As the party overturned a Conservative majority of more than 11,000, Mr Egan claimed “The Tories have sucked the hope out of our country”.

In his victory speech in the early hours of Friday morning, Mr Egan thanked the activists who helped him win and the people of Kingswood for putting their trust in him.

He said: “It’s a trust that I promise to repay, to show you that politics can be different and it can make a difference.”