UK PM Sunak's Conservatives hold Boris Johnson's former seat in by-election

Britain’s ruling Conservative Party on Friday held the former seat of ex-prime minister Boris Johnson in a surprise result driven by anger at the expansion of a tax on polluting vehicles. Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was braced for a triple blow after voters went to the polls on Thursday in three constituencies currently held by his party. But he received an unexpected boost when the Tories managed to hold onto Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip by 13,965 votes to 13,470, delivering a blow to Labour leader Keir Starmer and London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan. “The recognition that Boris Johnson is not on the ballot paper has been very clear,” said victorious candidate Steve Tuckwell. “What we have had is people asking what will be the impact of the ULEZ,” he said, referring to Khan’s pollution tax. However, the Conservatives suffered a crushing defeat in the seat of Somerton and Frome, where their 19,000 majority turned into a 11,000 deficit as the Liberal Democrats won by 21,187 to 10,179. Lib Dem winner Sarah Dyke hailed a “stunning and historic victory” during her speech, taking aim at the “woeful government”. “We have been let down and taken for granted. This government is too busy being a circus of chaos – enough is enough,” she said. Sunak, who has not been visible on the campaign trail, sought to project a business-as-usual image on Thursday. “When it comes to making people’s lives better, I am focused on action, not words,” he said in a statement heralding his contentious illegal migration bill formally becoming law. Sunak, who became prime minister following the disastrous 44-day tenure of predecessor Liz Truss, initially succeeded in stabilising financial markets panicked by her radical tax-slashing agenda. But the 43-year-old former finance minister has struggled to reverse his party’s declining fortunes, which first set in during the so-called “Partygate” scandal under Johnson. Sunak’s turnaround efforts have in part been hobbled by persistently high inflation, which in recent months has spooked the markets once again. With interest rates at their highest in 15 years, pushing mortgage and other borrowing costs ever higher, the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation is showing few signs of abating. Sunak kicked off the year by making five key vows to voters, including halving inflation, growing the economy and cutting waiting times within the overstretched National Health Service (NHS). He has made little headway on most of the pledges, and there are persistent fears the UK will tip into recession this year as the high interest rates constrain spending. Sunak’s net favourability has fallen to its lowest level (-40) since he entered Downing Street, with two-thirds of Britons saying they have an unfavourable view of him, according to YouGov.