By election: Boris Johnson blamed for Sunak’s Tamworth and Bedfordshire defeats

Boris Johnson and Liz Truss are to largely blame for the Conservatives crushing double by-election defeat, according to polling guru Sir John Curtice.

Prof Curtice said the Tories were staring a general election wipe-out “in the face” after “extraordinary swings” to Labour which saw the safe seats of Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire turn red.

Pointing to the impact of Mr Johnson’s Partygate scandal and Ms Truss’mini-budget fiasco, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think one could reasonably argue that the reason why we are where we are is because of those two events – and that’s more important than the fact Sir Keir Starmer has changed his party, although perhaps if Sir Keir Starmer had not changed his party maybe they wouldn’t be as popular to the same degree.”

He added: “A big what if: let us say those Partygate happenings had never happened, or at least we’d never heard of them and a result Boris Johnson was still in No 10 today. Would Labour be doing as well as they are at the moment?”

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Speaking before leaving the Middle East, Rishi Sunak told reporters: “Obviously disappointing results, not least because our candidates Festus (Akinbusoye) and Andrew (Cooper) worked very hard, and I know they’ll continue to be great local champions in their communities.

“It is important to remember the context – mid-term elections are always difficult for incumbent governments. And of course there are also local factors at play here.”

He said he was “committed to delivering on the priorities of the British people. That is why we’re going to keep on with halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats.

“But also over the past month, I’ve set out some long-term decisions that will change our country for the better.

“A new approach to net zero which will save families thousands of pounds, ensuring that we take a different approach to HS2, investing £36 billion in other transport projects around the country that will benefit people faster, or ensuring that an entire generation of our young children can grow up without smoking.

“Those are the type of decisions that I’m making for our country. That is the change that we’re going to bring, and I’m committed to delivering for the British people.”

A national mood is an amorphous, elusive thing, but you can recognise it when you collide with it. For Britain, this is one such time, and it is something that is making its political presence felt to the governing party.

The mood is summed up in the social media sphere as #GTTO – get the Tories out. It is quite tangible, even in Middle England.

All those things did no doubt have their psephological effect in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire; but the sheer scale and the nature of the Conservative collapse cannot be so easily explained away.

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The Labour leader said Tory voters were turning to them because they were “fed up with the decline and despairing of the party they used to vote for”.

Many pointed the finger at Boris Johnson and Liz Truss for leading the party in electoral oblivion, as despair about the chances at the general election expected in 2024 took hold once again.

The Labour leader insisted that his party would stay “humble” — but boasted that he could see the “summit” of a general election victory, as he cited Mr Blair’s 1997 triumph.

“What I do want to do is follow in the footsteps of a leader of our party who took us from opposition into power,” he said, after the huge majorities were overturned in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire.

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Mr Sunak was out of the country as the results came in, having been in Saudi Arabia and then Egypt on Friday as he toured the Middle East in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

The election blows were announced a year to the day after Mr Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss resigned as prime minister and leave him with a headache as he prepares to mark his first anniversary in No 10.

Danny Kruger, a member of the New Conservatives made up of MPs elected since 2019, said the Tories needed to be “more robust and braver” ahead of the next election.

He urged Mr Sunak to reduce net migration numbers, cut taxes and intervene in the so-called culture wars, an area where he suggested Mr Sunak could have “real cut-through” with voters.

Reform UK leader Richard Rice claimed last night’s byelection results, which saw his party finish third in Tamworth – getting more votes than Labour won by – showed that his party could have a “significant effect” at the election.

He also promised that his party would stand in every seat. “Yes I will keep my promise – 630 seats,” he tweeted.

The Prime Minister has described the double Conservative by-election losses in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire as “disappointing” but said there were “local factors at play”.

Rivals Labour took both seats, which enjoyed healthy Tory majorities, in results that party leader Sir Keir Starmer said “made history”.

Both contests were triggered by the high-profile departures of their previous MPs.

Speaking to broadcasters as he prepared to fly to the UK from Egypt, Mr Sunak said they were “obviously disappointing results” but that it was “important to remember the context”.

He said: “Mid-term elections are always difficult for incumbent governments.

“And of course there are also local factors at play here.”

The Prime Minister, who is returning after a diplomatic blitz of the Middle East, said he remained “committed to delivering on the priorities of the British people” following the defeats.