Blow to Sunak as Labour Party wins byelection

London, December 2

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In a poll outcome perceived as the first electoral test of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s leadership, the Opposition Labour Party won an important by-election with an increased margin in a north-west England constituency on Friday.

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Samantha Dixon retained the Chester seat for Labour Party with 17,309 votes, a 61 per cent share and nearly 11,000 more than her Conservative Party rival.

While Labour was expected to win the seat vacated following the resignation of a scandal-hit incumbent, the bigger margin is being seen as a public vote against the governing Tories. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the result showed people are “fed up” with the Conservative government.

It marks the worst result for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832, with candidate Liz Wardlaw getting 6,335 votes or 22.4 per cent.

“People in Chester and across our country are really worried,” said Dixon, dubbing her win as a “resounding mandate” for Labour.

“This is the cost of 12 years of Conservative government. The government, which has wreaked havoc with our economy, destroyed our public services and betrayed the people who put their trust in them at the last general election,” she said.