As-it-happened: PM defends record after by-election losses

Earlier, we were telling you about the Twitter silence from Boris Johnson's Cabinet following the by-election losses.

Now Culture Secretary - and avid Johnson supporter - Nadine Dorries has tweeted to say the twin defeats are a reminder that the government must be "relentless in cracking on with the job of delivering".

But she also says by-elections are "useless" as an indicator of the future performance of parties at general elections.

Plus Johnson is dealing with challenges which "no PM or government has faced" since World War Two, Dorries says - such as the war in Ukraine, post-pandemic world and cost-of-living challenges.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today in Parliament, former 1922 Committee Secretary Sir Charles Walker said the by-election results would not improve the mood of Tory MPs, and that for Conservative whips, “summer can’t come soon enough”.

But, he said, the loss of Wakefield and also Tiverton and Honiton had been “priced in” by Conservative MPs.

“This really was the last major pothole in the road towards [Parliament’s] summer recess.

"If the prime minister can navigate his way through next week, then, yes, times will be rocky in Parliament for the next four or five weeks, but then the summer recess will provide him and the party with a great deal of respite.”

The last thing a bruised Boris Johnson needs right now is another vote. Especially a vote in the House of Commons where Tory rebels buoyed by the double by-election defeat will be keen to keep the pressure on the prime minister.

That opportunity will come on Monday when MPs vote on the government's controversial protocol legislation. Could some of the 40% of Tory backbenchers who've lost faith in Boris Johnson use the vote to give him another bloody nose?

Democratic Unionist Party MP Sammy Wilson has previously warned Tory rebels not to be "childish" by using the protocol to damage the prime minister. Monday will be another test for Boris Johnson and another opportunity for his rebels.

Boris Johnson is also searching for a new party chairman - might Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis be tempted back to his old job? Fellow Johnson loyalist and Northern Ireland Office minister Conor Burns could also be in the frame.

Read more: What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

Pressure on the prime minister is building after two significant by-election losses overnight.

The win in Tiverton and Honiton, in particular, was the biggest by-election win in British history, with the Liberal Democrats achieving a swing of 29.9%.

.Copyright: .

The rural seat, which is dominated by Devon farmland, has been Conservative since it was created in 1997 - with former Tory MP Neil Parish having a majority of 24,239 in 2019.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey described their victory as "a wake-up call" to Tory MPs, while the victorious MP, Richard Foord, warned: "The Liberal Democrats are coming."

.Copyright: .

In Wakefield, one of the much-championed "red wall" seats wrested from Labour after 87 years in 2019, the Labour majority was comparatively smaller - with a swing to the left of 12.7%.

But it was nonetheless a convincing win - and the vote share was better than Labour themselves expected, according to MP Louise Haigh.

.Copyright: .

Earlier, we heard from former Conservative leader Michael Howard, who said he thought Boris Johnson should resign.

Here are a few more points he made when speaking to Radio 4’s World at One.

“I always thought that the culture at No 10 at the time of recent events was unacceptable... but that culture came from the top,” he said.

“What I think yesterday makes clear is that my view is shared by very large numbers of people. The electorate delivered its verdict.

“I have always been loyal to the leader of the Conservative Party, but I think times now are different and I think that action needs to be taken.”

And on the matter of who he thought should succeed Johnson, he added: “There are certainly people in the party who could... take over the leadership, and give the country the type of leadership that it needs.”

You can listen back to the full interview here.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The Lib Dems have won the Tiverton by-election with a majority of 6,144 - a historic win.

But what are their chances of keeping hold of the constituency at the next general election?

The most recent example of a by-election success not being replicated at a general election was in Brecon and Radnorshire, when the Lib Dems won the August 2019 by-election by 1,425 votes, but then the Conservatives went on to win it just four months later by 7,131 votes.

In December 2016, they won the Richmond Park by-election by a majority of 1,872 with a swing of 21% from the incumbent Tory government, but again it was the Conservatives who went on to win at the general election in 2017 – although only by a slender 45 votes.

Other examples of this pattern include Rochester and Strood in 2014, which went Ukip, and Corby in 2012, which went Labour, only to return to the Conservatives at the following general election.

The most recent example of when by-election gains have held at a general election is Copeland in 2017. The Conservatives gained it from Labour in February 2017 and held the seat that December.

This also happened in Clacton, when Ukip's 2014 by-election win was replicated in 2015.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The Conservative by-election defeats are not an "indictment" of the prime minister, Tory Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has said.

Asked about calls by former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard for Boris Johnson to resign, Houchen told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "Obviously what he said should be listened to."

He pointed to the "complicated" and multi-faceted reasons behind the results, saying he agreed with voters' concerns over rising prices and that "the government isn't moving as quickly as I would like" on tackling the cost-of-living crisis.

"Ultimately, the responsibility does lie with the prime minister for all of those reasons... cost of living, inflation, all of those things... People will look at the prime minister for direction of travel and that's what he needs to get a grip of," Houchen said.

He argued it would look "ridiculous" for the party to have a leadership contest in this context.

We're hearing that events at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda are overrunning - so it looks like we might not get Boris Johnson's press conference until around 15:00 BST.

We'll have full coverage of that later this afternoon.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, has said things are getting "more challenging" for Boris Johnson after the party's twin by-election defeats.

He told BBC Radio Wales: "Politics is all about taking responsibility and when the voters send a clear message like they did last night, then people do have to step up if they are in government and obviously be able to answer the questions that the voters have put to them."

In a reference to the party's defeated candidate in Tiverton and Honiton, Helen Hurford, Davies said he had gone twice to support "our excellent candidate, a former headteacher who had great local connections".

Ultimately, however, the voters had chosen "to send a message to Westminster", he added.

"Each and every day, the prime minister gets up, like any leader, they have to look in the mirror and ask themselves, can they continue to deliver for their country and for the people who have put them into office?"

As we've mentioned, we're expecting the PM to hold a press conference in Kigali shortly.

The focus, for him, will be the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. But he's bound to be asked about the Tories' twin by-election losses by the travelling UK press pack.

And as we just told you, there could also be questions about the government's controversial plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, which has been hit with legal challenges.

Stay with us for the latest.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Cabinet ministers haven't exactly been bounding out of bed to defend the prime minister this morning.

The one person who was supposed to be on the airwaves defending the government this morning was former Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden, whose resignation shocked the prime minister.

This morning it was unclear who would replace Dowden in broadcast interviews.

No 10 did manage to get the Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Home Secretary Priti Patel on to the airwaves defend the party and Boris Johnson.

But usually, in times of crisis, loyal ministers rally around their leader on social media to prove that, at least publicly, their support is still intact.

Now, admittedly, these posts are normally pretty performative and often co-ordinated so that journalists like us don't swoop on them to speculate why they haven't shown their support.

However, the absence of even generic messages of support this morning is quite striking.

Five hours later, Chancellor Rishi Sunak posted on Twitter he was sad his colleague Oliver Dowden had resigned and "we all take responsibility for the results".

It hardly exuded confidence.

Of course, politics is more than just what people put on Twitter - but in times like these, silence can often speak volumes.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

As you'll know by now, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently in Rwanda for the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting, and earlier he met the Prince of Wales, who's there for the same reason.

Earlier this week there had been reports the prince had criticised the government's Rwanda asylum seeker plan, apparently describing it as "appalling".

A Clarence House spokesperson said the "prince is politically neutral" and that policy was a matter for the government.

Downing Street said yesterday it was "unlikely" the pair would discuss the policy.

We're expecting to hear from him before too long, and this topic may well come up.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

The Labour leader chose the market town of Ossett, just outside Wakefield city but inside the constituency, for his victory lap.

There was, inevitably, a media scrum when Keir Starmer finished his stump speech with the successful candidate in the market square.

There I reminded him that Labour had won the Corby by-election on the same swing a decade ago – only to lose the subsequent general election.

Polling experts are suggesting even a sizeable swing might not deliver a general election victory.

He said he felt the scale of the victory was significant as was the ability of the party to attract new support.

Nonetheless, no-one in Labour is complaining this morning as it now feels the focus on political leadership has moved back to the PM, taking the pressure off Keir Starmer.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the Tories' by-election losses represent a "monumental, massive, humiliating vote of no confidence" in Boris Johnson.

The Conservatives lost the Wakefield seat in West Yorkshire to Labour – and Tiverton and Honiton in Devon to the Liberal Democrats.

Sturgeon says the result should send "a very strong message to the Conservatives" to remove the PM.

She says: "If they keep Boris Johnson, a law-breaking prime minister who has been seen to not tell the truth, if they keep him in office, then effectively they are all becoming complicit in this."

Meanwhile, Scottish Tory MP Andrew Bowie says his party can no longer act as though it is "business as usual".

Our search specialists have been looking at the most asked questions about the by-elections, and here we bring you the answers:

What is a by-election?

A parliamentary by-election happens when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant between general elections. Read more about the reasons for by-elections here.

Will Boris Johnson resign?

He hasn't said he will quit, saying on Friday instead that "we will keep going, addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch".

When is the next general election?

The next general election is due by the end of 2024, and is called by the government. No date has been announced yet.

Who is Oliver Dowden?

He is the Conservative Party's co-chairman who resigned following the results of the by-elections. He co-chaired the party alongside Ben Elliot, a British businessman and fundraiser. Together they were responsible for the party's organisation and administration.

Why was there a by-election in Wakefield?

A by-election was announced after MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigned having been convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy and jailed for 18 months.

How many Lib Dem MPs are there?

There are now 14 Liberal Democrat MPs, after 11 were elected to the House of Commons in the last general election in 2019.

What do the Lib Dems stand for?

In the last general election, their manifesto listed stopping Brexit and raising a total of £35bn to spend on the NHS and social care at the top of their list. Read more about their policies here.

Our colleagues at Radio 5 Live have been hearing what people across the country think of the by-election results.

Linda in Bingley thinks Boris Johnson "hasn't got a shred of responsibility, honour or integrity".

She says the Conservative Party chose him as leader because they "thought he was a vote winner, he's clearly not a vote winner any more".

"It's interesting how the voters are clearly voting tactically in both constituencies to get rid of him."

William in Ilkley believes there has been "too much media hype and hysteria" around Boris Johnson and that "nobody's perfect".

He says that the UK was the "first one with the vaccine and to get it out in great numbers and the first one to react positively and help [Ukraine] enormously".

"Those two things he’s got right, and those are things that matter," he says.

Sandy in Oxfordshire says it was a "foregone conclusion" the Conservatives would lose both seats.

"I don’t think Boris Johnson will go yet, he'll go of his own accord or the public will get rid of him," she says.

"He's got to put his actions where his words are, and that's what I will judge at the next election."

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

On the (already cold) day before the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson made headlines by "hiding in a fridge" in Pudsey to avoid a TV interview, amid some nerves in Conservative Party that opinion polls were narrowing.

The Conservatives went on to win a huge, historic majority the next day.

Today the prime minister is seeking distraction from party wobbles in rather hotter climes.

His team are being bullish about his trip to Rwanda, keen to stress he has no plans to cut short his trips to the Commonwealth conference there - or indeed to upcoming G7 or Nato summits.

The prime minister himself has been keen to stress they must "keep going" and get on with the job this morning.

But a number of Tory MPs this morning say he needs to send them a clear message around how he will turn their electoral fortunes around.

Tobias Ellwood - who has publicly urged colleagues not to let Boris Johnson lead them into the next election - said: "If the prime minister is serious about addressing the fall-out he might reconsider the wisdom of being out the country for the next eight days."

Another in a marginal seat said he needed to address his backbench colleagues today.

It's a tricky dilemma though: Come back, and that could be interpreted as a sign of panic when he wants to stress he is "getting on with the job."

But stay out of the country for eight days and he - and his team - risk not being fully able to control the narrative about where this goes next as nervous Tory MPs await the next steps back home.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

It's become a lot harder for the Conservative party to choose a new leader, considering they had a confidence vote to potentially remove Boris Johnson as leader on 6 June. This was organised by the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs.

Under current Conservative Party rules, any leader who survives a confidence vote is safe for another year.

Of course, even though Theresa May won a confidence vote in 2019, she still resigned a few months later.

It is unclear exactly what will happen now. If enough Tory MPs are moved to act by these two by-election results, it's possible Conservative Party rules could change the rules to allow another vote sooner.

What is significant is that Tory MPs are about to vote for who they want to lead the 1922 Committee – the institution with so much influence over the leadership.

If enough of them vote for candidates willing to change the rules on when another contest can be held, it could cause a huge headache for Johnson.