The Conservatives have suffered defeats but have narrowly held on to former prime minister Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat, after a night of three dramatic by-election results.

In Somerton and Frome, the Liberal Democrats overturned a majority of more than 19,000, with a 29% swing. And Labour made history, overturning a 20,137 majority to take the North Yorkshire seat of Selby and Ainsty.

The by-elections were triggered by the resignations of all three sitting Conservative MPs.

On a visit to Uxbridge, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Tory victory there showed the next general election was not a “done deal” and he vowed to “double down” on his priorities, including halving inflation and stopping small boats crossing the Channel.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “This is a historic result that shows that people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party that is focused entirely on the priorities of working people with an ambitious, practical plan to deliver.”

Source: Kuwait News Agency