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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took on “personal responsibility” on Friday for the Conservatives’ deep defeat in the by-elections in an area where the party had won for 189 years. Winning in North Shropshire, a generally rural area of central England, the Liberal Democrats gained about 34% more voter support.
Such a shift in votes during the by-elections has not occurred since World War II. After the result was announced, Liberal Democrat candidate Helen Morgan said the party was over for Mr. Johnson, and symbolically she pierced a balloon with his name on it. Ms. Morgan won over a large number of Conservatives in an election process sparked by the resignation of a former minister following a lobbying scandal. The magnitude of the loss is causing fluctuations throughout British politics.
Conservatives, already surprised, are facing the question of whether Mr. Johnson has become an electoral problem and whether he should be replaced. Boris Johnson was elected leader of the Conservatives in 2019, generally because of his strong points in campaign development and ability to win elections. It now appears that his electoral magic is fading and that his control over the party is also weakening, say conservative domestic voices.
The North Shropshire loss was preceded by a loss for the Conservatives in another by-election this year in a traditionally conservative area, in Chesham and Amersham, where it also won a Liberal Democratic nominee with about 25% of undecided voters. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr Johnson said: “It is clear that the vote in North Shropshire is a very disappointing result and I fully understand the frustration of the people. “I hear what voters in North Shropshire are saying and I have to humbly accept this verdict.”
He added: “Of course I take personal responsibility.” But the Conservatives, also known as the Tori party, were ready on Friday to express their anger at the loss. Many had said the by-elections should be seen as a personal referendum on leadership by Prime Minister Johnson. The Conservatives previously held the constituency with a majority of over 23,000 votes, but the Liberal Democrat candidate won it on Thursday with 5,925 more votes.
Veteran Conservative lawmaker Roger Gale said the Conservatives lost “because the electorate wanted to send a very clear message to the prime minister on Downing Street that they were unhappy with the management of this government.” Mr Gale told the BBC: “The Conservative Party has a reputation for not taking prisoners. “If the prime minister fails, he leaves.” Mr Gale said he had written to the chairman of the 1922 Commission, the entity that oversees Conservative lawmakers, calling for a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership. Fifty-four such requests must be received to organize a vote of this parliamentary party.
Other angry lawmakers say they are not submitting their demands at this time, but warned that Mr Johnson had only a few weeks left to change things. David Gauke, a former cabinet minister, said he thought there was unlikely to be an attempt to remove Mr Johnson in the near future as the government tries to stem the pandemic deterioration, but he told reporters that “the loss in North Shropshire further weakens the prime minister and makes him more vulnerable.”
Even supporters of Prime Minister Johnson acknowledge that he is now battling the biggest crisis of his troubled term. Voters have become more reluctant as he seeks to convince them of the need for tougher restrictions on the pandemic as the Omikron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread. A mix of scandals and reports of chaos within the government have further aggravated the challenges./VOA
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