British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday faced questions about his leadership after weeks of controversy culminated in a crushing by-election defeat in a constituency never previously lost by his Conservative Party.
His ruling Tories had held the seat in North Shropshire, central England, by a massive majority just two years ago, but saw that wiped out by the Liberal Democrats in a vote on Thursday, a historic defeat set to intensify the mutinous mood among Conservative MPs.
Johnson, 57, was already reeling from a series of scandals and setbacks and around 100 of his lawmakers rebelled in parliament Tuesday against the government’s introduction of vaccine passes for large events.
The UK leader’s authority has also been hit repeatedly in recent weeks by claims of corruption and reports that he and his staff broke coronavirus restrictions last Christmas, while a new surge in Omicron cases have added to a sense of crisis.
The government reported nearly 89,000 new infections Thursday, the second consecutive record daily tally.
The Tories lose the safe rural seat, won by 23,000 votes in 2019, by almost 6,000 votes, as the Lib Dems mustered a swing of 34 percentage points — the seventh biggest in by-election history.
“The people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people,” winning candidate Helen Morgan said in her victory speech.
“They have said loudly and clearly: ‘Boris Johnson, the party is over’. Your government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable. It will be scrutinised, it will be challenged and it can and will be defeated.”
Source: eNCA
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