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The Conservatives are facing yet another set of by-elections in February, with voters in Kingswood and Wellingborough set to pick their new MPs.

The contests follow the resignation of former minister Chris Skidmore in protest at the government’s watering down of green policies, and the ousting of Peter Bone over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.

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But it is far from the first mid-term vote Rishi Sunak has faced since he took the keys to Number 10 at the end of 2022.

We look back at the by-elections that have taken place during his tenure, how they came about, and what the outcome was.

City of Chester – 1 December 2022

Labour Deputy leader Angela Rayner  meeting newly elected Labour MP Samantha Dixon in Chester after she won the Chester by-election
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Labour Deputy leader Angela Rayner meeting newly elected Labour MP Samantha Dixon in Chester

Rishi Sunak’s first by-election test as prime minister was also the first public vote since Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were forced out of Number 10.

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The contest was triggered by the resignation of Christian Matheson, the Labour MP who was suspended the previous October after two allegations of sexual misconduct from a former staff member were upheld.

Labour comfortably won the by-election, with its candidate Samantha Dixon keeping hold of the seat with 17,309 votes, a 60.8% share and nearly 11,000 more than the Conservative candidate.

While Labour was expected to win the seat, which it has held uninterrupted since 2015, it represented the worst result for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832, with candidate Liz Wardlaw getting 6,335 votes or 22.4%.

Stretford and Urmston – 15 December 2022

A safe Labour seat in Greater Manchester, Stretford and Urmston has voted red since its creation in 1997, and former shadow education secretary Kate Green had been its MP since 2010.

But when Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor – and a former Stretford MP herself – Baroness Hughes, announced she was stepping back from the role, Ms Green was announced as her replacement, saying it was “the right time… to move on to new experiences and opportunities”.

She had been nominated by the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer gave full-throated support to the shift in direction for the former member of his shadow cabinet.

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Labour’s Andrew Western comfortably held on to the seat for his party

After being approved by the police, fire and crime panel, Ms Green officially stepped down and a by-election was triggered in her constituency.

But it passed without much drama, with Labour’s candidate, Andrew Western, not only keeping hold of the seat, but increasing the majority to almost 70% of the vote.

West Lancashire – 9 February 2023

Labour held on to the seat of West Lancashire when a by-election was triggered by the resignation of the constituency MP Rosie Cooper, who went on to become the chair of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Ms Cooper, who was elected in 2005, was the victim of a plot to kill her by an alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action and admitted the stress of her ordeal had “taken its toll”.

Labour’s candidate, Ashley Dalton, retained the seat for the party and secured a majority of 8,326 over Conservative candidate Mike Prendergast, with a 10.52% swing from the Tories to Labour.

In her victory speech, she said the people of her constituency have spoken on “behalf of the country” and sent a message to the Conservative government that they “do not have confidence in them to govern or the prime minister to lead”.

Labour's Ashley Dalton
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Labour’s Ashley Dalton kept hold of West Lancashire after Rosie Cooper resigned

Uxbridge and South Ruislip – 20 July 2023

Mr Sunak was able to buck the trend of Conservative defeats in by-elections with a win in Uxbridge that came off the back of anti-ULEZ feeling in Mr Johnson’s former constituency.

The vote in Uxbridge and South Ruislip was triggered after the former prime minister stood down as an MP shortly before it was recommended he be suspended for 90 days for his role in the partygate scandal during the COVID pandemic.

Conservative Steve Tuckwell, a local councillor, successfully kept hold of the seat with 13,965 votes to 13,470 for Labour and 526 for the Liberal Democrats – giving him a majority of 495.

Conservative party winning candidate Steve Tuckwell and Labour candidate Danny Beales in Queensmead Sports Centre in South Ruislip,  (left) west London, after the results of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, called following the resignation of former prime minister Boris Johnson. Picture date: Friday July 21, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS ByElections. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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Labour’s Danny Beales narrowly lost out to Tory councillor Steve Tuckwell in Boris Johnson’s former seat

Speaking after his victory was announced, Mr Tuckwell said Sadiq Khan “lost Labour this election” by rolling out his Ultra Low Emissions Zone to outer London boroughs.

ULEZ aims to tackle air pollution and congestion by charging cars that don’t meet emission standards £12.50 a day to drive on central London roads.

Following the defeat, splits emerged in Labour after party leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the London mayor to “reflect” on the policy, which was criticised for being introduced during a cost of living crisis.

But Mr Khan stood by it, saying: “It was a difficult decision to take. But just like nobody will accept drinking dirty water, why accept dirty air?”

Selby and Ainsty – 20 July 2023

Selby and Ainsty, the North Yorkshire seat that has been Conservative since it was created in 2010, turned red in the by-election that was held following the departure of the constituency MP Nigel Adams after he was snubbed for a peerage.

Mr Adams, a close ally of Boris Johnson, confirmed he was stepping down from the Commons with “immediate effect” last June, following the former prime minister and former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

By election winner and Labour Party candidate Keir Mather speaks at Selby Leisure Centre, North Yorkshire after the results were given for the Selby and Ainsty by-election, called following the resignation of incumbent MP Nigel Adams. Picture date: Friday July 21, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS ByElections. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
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Keir Mather was elected to parliament at the age of just 25

Both he and Ms Dorries had been tipped for peerages in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours but neither featured in the published list.

Mr Adams previously said he would quit at the next general election.

Labour overturned a Conservative majority of 20,137 – the largest majority reversed at a by-election – propelling 25-year-old Keir Mather into parliament.

Mr Mather won 16,456 votes, compared with the 12,295 cast for the Tory candidate Claire Holmes, giving Labour a majority of 4,161.

Speaking after his victory, Mr Mather said the Conservative government has “failed us” – and “now it’s time for a fresh start”.

“In a year’s time I believe we will be on the precipice of a Labour government,” he said. “Today we have made history.”

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Somerton and Frome – 20 July 2023

This South West seat has switched hands over the years in a straight fight between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, but Tory MP David Warburton had comfortably held the constituency with over 50% of the vote since 2015.

However, a scandal uncovered by the Sunday Times led to him being suspended from his party and sitting as an independent for over a year, before eventually resigning from the Commons.

The newspaper reported allegations of sexual harassment – which Mr Warburton denied – and drug taking – which he later admitted to – and an investigation from parliament’s commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, upheld three allegations of sexual misconduct.

But Mr Warburton claimed he had been denied a fair hearing, and resigned in protest at the 14-month investigation, which he said had “inflicted unimaginable and intolerable destruction on my family and on me”.

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Sir Ed Davey and Sarah Dyke celebrated the victory in the usual Lib Dem style

Two weeks later, an independent expert panel upheld his appeal, saying the probe into his conduct had been “materially flawed”. But by that point, he had left parliament and a by-election had been triggered.

The campaign was again a straight fight between the Tories and Lib Dems, with the latter facing a steep hill in overturning the 19,213 majority Mr Warburton had won in the 2019 election.

But local councillor and Lib Dem candidate Sarah Dyke managed to secure her own majority of 11,008 over her Tory rival, Faye Purbrick, and took the seat for her party.

Rutherglen and Hamilton West – 5 October 2023

The by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West was regarded as the first test for Labour against the SNP in Scotland, where it needs to pick up a significant number of seats if it is to win the next general election.

The contest was triggered following a successful recall petition to oust the SNP’s Margaret Ferrier, who was found to have breached COVID restrictions during lockdown in 2020.

Despite hanging on as an independent after the SNP removed the party whip, last June the Commons voted to suspend her for 30 days, triggering the recall petition that saw her lose her job.

Margaret Ferrier
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Disgraced MP Margaret Ferrier was ousted by a successful recall petition

Labour went on to triumph in the by-election, with its candidate Michael Shanks defeating the SNP’s Katy Loudon by 17,845 votes to 8,399 – a majority of 9,446 and a 20.36% swing from SNP to Scottish Labour.

Sir Keir celebrated the result as “seismic” for his party.

Speaking to Sky News after his win, Mr Shanks said: “There’s absolutely no doubt that this result shows that there’s no part of the United Kingdom that Labour can’t win.

“It’s been a long time in Scotland – Labour building back to a place where people can trust us again.”

Mid Bedfordshire – 19 October 2023

A true blue constituency since 1931, Mid Beds has always been considered a safe Conservative seat in the home counties.

But its controversial MP – and her controversial exit – led to quite the battle when a by-election came to town.

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries won the seat in 2005 and had steadily increased her majority in the following years to around 60% of the vote.

But in June 2023, she announced she was resigning from the Commons with “immediate effect”.

Ms Dorries’ initial reasoning was around a “new life opening up” for her, including the birth of her granddaughter.

But in the weeks following, it emerged that she had expected to be included in Boris Johnson’s honours list to take a seat in the Lords, and when her name failed to appear, she placed the blame at the door of Rishi Sunak, claiming he had blocked her appointment.

Nadine Dorries during her interview with Sophy Ridge
 For Alan
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Since leaving, Nadine Dorries has been touring TV studios to promote a book

It took her a total of 81 days from announcing her resignation to actually officially quitting the Commons.

Both Labour and the Lib Dems had their eyes set on her seat, and a fierce battle broke out between the parties – with accusations of personal attacks on candidates.

In fact, senior figures thought the nasty atmosphere between the rivals and a failure to approach the by-election tactically risked letting the Conservatives keep hold of the seat.

But come the night, it was Labour’s Alistair Strathern who won the contest, getting over 1,000 votes more than the Tories’ Festus Akinbusoye and more than 4,000 votes ahead of the Lib Dem Emma Holland-Lindsay.

Tamworth – 19 October 2023

This Midlands seat had been Conservative since the party took power in 2010, and after the Tory MP Chris Pincher secured over 66% of the vote in 2019, there wasn’t much fear it could change its allegiances.

But the behaviour of the MP not only led to a by-election in that seat, but the downfall of a prime minister.

Mr Pincher had been the deputy chief whip in Boris Johnson’s government but quit in the summer of 2022 after allegations he had groped two men at a London members club.

It took days for the then prime minister to bow to pressure to suspend him from the party, and when it emerged Mr Johnson had known about other allegations before appointing Mr Pincher, his party turned on him, eventually leading to his exit from Number 10.

Meanwhile, Mr Pincher continued to sit as an independent MP.

Chris Pincher
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Chris Pincher’s conduct led to the by-election in Tamworth

An investigation by parliament’s watchdog concluded his conduct had been “completely inappropriate, profoundly damaging to the individuals concerned, and represented an abuse of power”, with them recommending a suspension of eight weeks – a long enough penalty to trigger a recall petition in the constituency.

Mr Pincher appealed against the sanction, but the independent panel stood by it, and rather than face the possible recall petition, the former frontbencher resigned, saying he did not want his constituents to be “put through further uncertainty”.

After a campaign where accusations of sleaze were very prominent, Labour’s Sarah Edwards secured the party’s second win of the night, with the second biggest by-election swing from the Conservatives since 1945.

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Sir Keir Starmer says US-UK trade talks ‘well advanced’ and rejects ‘knee-jerk’ response to Donald Trump tariffs

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Sir Keir Starmer says US-UK trade talks 'well advanced' and rejects 'knee-jerk' response to Donald Trump tariffs

Sir Keir Starmer has said US-UK trade talks are “well advanced” ahead of tariffs expected to be imposed by Donald Trump on the UK this week – but rejected a “knee-jerk” response.

Speaking to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, the prime minister said the UK is “working hard on an economic deal” with the US and said “rapid progress” has been made on it ahead of tariffs expected to be imposed on Wednesday.

But, he admitted: “Look, the likelihood is there will be tariffs. Nobody welcomes that, nobody wants a trade war.

“But I have to act in the national interest and that means all options have to remain on the table.”

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Sir Keir added: “We are discussing economic deals. We’re well advanced.

“These would normally take months or years, and in a matter of weeks, we’ve got well advanced in those discussions, so I think that a calm approach, a collected approach, not a knee-jerk approach, is what’s needed in the best interests of our country.”

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Keir Starmer

Downing Street said on Monday the UK is expecting to be hit by new US tariffs on Wednesday – branded “liberation day” by the US president – as a deal to exempt British goods would not be reached in time.

A 25% levy on car and car parts had already been announced but the new tariffs are expected to cover all exports to the US.

Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, earlier told Sky News he is “hopeful” the tariffs can be reversed soon.

But he warned: “The longer we don’t have a potential resolution, the more we will have to consider our own position in relation to [tariffs], precluding retaliatory tariffs.”

He added the government was taking a “calm-headed” approach in the hope a deal can be agreed but said it is only “reasonable” retaliatory tariffs are an option, echoing Sir Keir’s sentiments over the weekend.

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Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. Pic: Reuters

Tariff announcement on Wednesday

Mr Trump has been threatening tariffs – import taxes – on countries with the biggest trade imbalances with the US.

However, over the weekend, he suggested the tariffs would hit all countries, but did not name them or reveal which industries would be targeted.

Read more: How Trump’s tariffs could affect the UK

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‘Everything on table over US tariffs’

Mr Trump will unveil his tariff plan on Wednesday afternoon at the first Rose Garden news conference of his second term, the White House press secretary said.

“Wednesday, it will be Liberation Day in America, as President Trump has so proudly dubbed it,” Karoline Leavitt said.

“The president will be announcing a tariff plan that will roll back the unfair trade practices that have been ripping off our country for decades. He’s doing this in the best interest of the American worker.”

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Trump’s tariffs: What can we expect?

Tariffs would cut UK economy by 1%

UK government forecaster the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said a 20 percentage point increase in tariffs on UK goods and services would cut the size of the British economy by 1% and force tax rises this autumn.

Global markets remained flat or down on Monday in anticipation of the tariffs, with the FTSE 100 stock exchange trading about 1.3% lower on Monday, closing with a 0.9% loss.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% after a volatile day which saw it down as much as 1.7% in the morning.

However, the FTSE 100 is expected to open about 0.4% higher on Tuesday, while Asian markets also steadied, with Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 broadly unchanged after a 4% slump yesterday.

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Blockchain Association CEO will move to Solana advocacy group

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Blockchain Association CEO will move to Solana advocacy group

Blockchain Association CEO will move to Solana advocacy group

Kristin Smith, CEO of the US-based Blockchain Association, will be leaving the cryptocurrency advocacy group for the recently launched Solana Policy Institute.

In an April 1 notice, the Blockchain Association (BA) said Smith would be stepping down from her role as CEO on May 16. According to the association, the soon-to-be former CEO will become president of the Solana Policy Institute on May 19.

The association’s notice did not provide an apparent reason for the move to the Solana advocacy organization nor say who would lead the group after Smith’s departure. Cointelegraph reached out to the Blockchain Association for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Cryptocurrencies, United States, Solana, Policy

Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith’s April 1 announcement. Source: LinkedIn

Smith, who has worked at the BA since 2018 and was deputy chief of staff for former Montana Representative Denny Rehberg, will follow DeFi Education Fund CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine, leaving his position to join the Solana Policy Institute as CEO. According to Whitehouse-Levine, the organization plans to educate US policymakers on Solana.

Related: Congress on track for stablecoin, market structure bills by August: Blockchain Association

With members from the crypto industry, including Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and Chainlink Labs, the BA has filed a lawsuit against the US Internal Revenue Service, challenging regulations requiring brokers to report crypto transactions. The group often criticized the US Securities and Exchange Commission under former chair Gary Gensler for its “regulation by enforcement” approach to crypto, resulting in steep legal fees for many companies.

Less than 48 hours after the Solana Policy Institute’s launch, it’s unclear what the group’s immediate goals may be for engaging with US lawmakers and advocating for the industry. The organization described itself as a non-partisan nonprofit group.

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Payouts for departing civil servants capped at £95,000 under voluntary exit scheme

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Payouts for departing civil servants capped at £95,000 under voluntary exit scheme

The most senior and long-serving civil servants could be offered a maximum of £95,000 to quit their jobs as part of a government efficiency drive.

Sky News reported last week that several government departments had started voluntary exit schemes for staff in a bid to make savings, including the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office.

The Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government have yet to start schemes but it is expected they will, with the former already set to lose staff following the abolition of NHS England that was announced earlier this month.

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Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, confirmed in last week’s spring statement that the government was setting aside £150m to fund the voluntary exit schemes, which differ from voluntary redundancy in that they offer departments more flexibility around the terms offered to departing staff.

Ms Reeves said the funding would enable departments to reduce staffing numbers over the next two years, creating “significant savings” on staff employment costs.

A maximum limit for departing staff is usually set at one month per year of service capped at 21 months of pay or £95,000.

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Whitehall sources stressed the figure was “very much the maximum that could be offered” given that the average civil service salary is just over £30,000 per year.

Whitehall departments will need to bid for the money provided at the spring statement and match the £150m from their own budgets, bringing the total funding to £300m.

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Spring statement 2025 key takeaways

The Cabinet Office is understood to be targeting 400 employees in a scheme that was announced last year and will continue to run over this year.

A spokesman said each application to the scheme would be examined on a case-by-case basis to ensure “we retain critical skills and experience”.

It is up to each government department to decide how they operate their scheme.

The voluntary exit schemes form part of the government’s ambition to reduce bureaucracy and make the state more efficient amid a gloomy economic backdrop.

Ahead of the spring statement, Ms Reeves announced plans to cut civil service running costs by 15% by 2030, which ministers have said will save £2.2bn.

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The move could result in 10,000 civil service jobs being axed after numbers ballooned during the pandemic.

Ms Reeves hopes the cuts, which she said will be to “back office jobs” rather than frontline services, but civil service unions have raised concerns that government departments will inevitably lose skilled and experienced staff.

The cuts form part of a wider government agenda to streamline the civil service and the size of the British state, which Sir Keir Starmer criticised as “weaker than it has ever been”.

During the same speech, he announced that NHS England, the administrative body that runs the NHS, would also be scrapped to eliminate duplication and cut costs.

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