By-election news - live: PM loses backing of more Tory MPs after disastrous defeats

Boris Johnson’s support among Tory MPs has ebbed to an all-time low after the Conservatives suffered two crushing by-election losses on Thursday.

Following the double defeats in Tiverton and Wakefield, one senior Conservative MP, who backed Mr Johnson in the no-confidence vote earlier this month, told The Independent that they had now changed their mind.

“I voted for Boris last time but I just can’t see any way out of it for him right now,” they said.

“It is now a question of when, not if. The public have made up their minds. We got it wrong in hanging on to John Major in the nineties and we can’t get it wrong a second time with Johnson.”

The former Tory leader Michael Howard has also urged Mr Johnson to step down, while a cabinet minister admitted that “the mood has shifted”.

Their statements came after the Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden resigned, citing the “disappointment” of the public over the Partygate scandal. “Someone must take responsibility,” he said.

Key points

• Tory support for Boris Johnson ebbing after disastrous by-election defeats

• PM vows to ‘listen and learn’ after by-election defeats

• Lord Howard says PM should resign as he urges cabinet to act

• Tory chair Oliver Dowden resigns after double defeat

• Dowden couldn’t go on ‘defending the indefensible’

• Lib Dems record historic victory in Tiverton & Honiton

• Labour wins Wakefield by-election

Watch: Former Tory leader Michael Howard says Johnson should resign after by-election defeat

22:00 , Emily Atkinson

How Tory plot to topple Boris Johnson could play out

21:41 , Emily Atkinson

A week ago ministerial allies of Boris Johnson were insisting that losses in the Tiverton and Wakefield by-elections were already “priced in”. The results would not matter, they insisted, because no one expected them to win. It did not quite work out that way.

Less than two hours after the scale of the disastrous defeats became apparent, one of Boris Johnson’s most publicly loyal allies, party chairman Oliver Dowden, quit. Shortly afterwards, former Conservative leader Michael Howard became the latest senior Tory to call on the prime minister to resign. And yet still Mr Johnson limps on.

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin and economics editor Anna Isaac have the details:

How Tory plot to topple Boris Johnson could play out

Overturning of Roe v Wade a ‘sad day for the US’, says UK

21:22 , Emily Atkinson

Today was a “momentous and sad day for the United States”, the UK chairwoman of Democrats Abroad, the official organisation of the Democratic Party for US Citizens living overseas, has said.

Speaking at a protest outside the US embassy in London, Wen-Wen Lindroth said: “I’m about the same age as Roe v Wade and, you know, I think a lot of women of my generation, we just took it for granted that the struggle for women’s rights, you know, had come a very long way, maybe not all the way, but this was certainly one of the fundamental decisions that, you know, underlies our sense of equality in the US.

“So to have it taken away is very meaningful and it will impact women, you know, of older generations, of younger generations certainly, and its just something that we’re going to need to address politically and find a way to turn back.”

Jess Phillips: Wakefield voters chose Labour – the Tories should be honest about why

20:58 , Rory Sullivan

The government should admit the public are tired of its rule, Jess Phillips has said.

Writing after her party beat the Conservatives in the Wakefield by-election and the Lib Dems overcame a Tory majority in the Tiverton & Honiton by-election, the Labour MP said:

The problem is Boris Johnson and 12 years of failure. It wasn’t some non-existent pact between Labour and the Lib Dems. It was because people in wildly different parts of our country decided to use their votes, completely of their own volition, to send a message that they think that the prime minister and his government have failed. Simple.

Wakefield voters chose Labour – the Tories should be honest about why | Jess Phillips

PM denies abandoning Commonwealth nations during pandemic

20:40 , Rory Sullivan

Britain did not abandon Commonwealth countries during the coronavirus crisis, Boris Johnson has said.

After admitting that the UK could always have done more, he said the country had played a “pretty remarkable” role in distributing vaccines around the world.

“I think that is a great, great thing,” he said.

Minister criticises Dowden’s decision to quit party chair role

20:20 , Rory Sullivan

Tory infighting has accelerated after the party’s defeat in the Devon and Yorkshire by-elections yesterday.

Conor Burns, the minister of state for Northern Ireland, said he was “disappointed” that Oliver Dowden had quit as Conservative party chair following the disappointing result.

Responding to former Tory leader Michael Howard’s call for Boris Johnson to resign, Mr Burns said: “I would simply say I will give the same loyalty to my party leader and my prime minister as Lord Howard expected of me when he was party leader.”

Stop threatening to rip up Northern Ireland Protocol, Sinn Fein tells British government

20:00 , Rory Sullivan

The British government must not commit “economic vandalism” by unilaterally scrapping parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Sinn Fein has said.

A bill that will remove checks over the Irish Sea - checks the UK government agreed to under the Withdrawal Agreement - will receive its second reading in Parliament on Monday.

Speaking on Friday, John O’Dowd, Stormont’s infrastructure minister, warned the Tory party against the move, saying it was unpopular in Northern Ireland.

“The attack on the protocol through this piece of legislation is an attack on international law. More importantly, it’s an attack on our business community, workers and families who are benefiting from it,” the Sinn Fein politician said.

“What Boris Johnson and others plan to do on Monday is economic vandalism and it should be stopped and stopped now,” he added.

Hancock rushes to PM’s defence

19:38 , Rory Sullivan

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has rushed to the defence of his party leader.

Amid fresh questions about Boris Johnson’s future in No 10, the Tory MP said his colleagues needed to “pull together” and work towards the next general election, which he admitted would be “challenging”.

Tory support for Boris Johnson ebbing after disastrous by-election defeats

19:18 , Rory Sullivan

Boris Johnson’s hold on the premiership is tonight in peril, amid signs that support for his leadership within the Conservative Party is ebbing away in the wake of a pair of disastrous by-election defeats.

As Labour seized back the totemic red-wall seat of Wakefield and Liberal Democrats overturned a record by-election majority to take “true blue” Tiverton & Honiton in Devon, one MP who backed Mr Johnson in a confidence vote less than three weeks ago told The Independent that he and others could no longer support the prime minister.

Tory support for Boris Johnson ebbing after disastrous by-election defeats

Video: Rwanda plan puts UK ‘out in front’ of the world, claims Johnson

19:00 , Rory Sullivan

Johnson defends policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda

18:35 , Rory Sullivan

The prime minister has defended his government’s attempts to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.

After noting the ongoing legal challenges against the move, Boris Johnson said: “I’m confident that we will be able to go ahead and develop a solution that I think who’s time has come.”

Speaking from the Rwandan capital Kigali, he added: “You’ve got to find a way of breaking the mode of people smugglers, people smugglers, people traffickers are doing a profoundly evil and dangerous thing and you have to find a way of stopping that.

“I’m confident that it will produce value for money.”

PM says Roe v Wade verdict ‘a big step backwards’ for US

18:20 , Rory Sullivan

Further to my earlier post on the same subject, here’s a video of Boris Johnson speaking out against the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade:

By-election defeats cannot be ‘written off as just midterm blues’, says Tory MP

18:00 , Rory Sullivan

An unnamed Tory MP has said Boris Johnson must go because the by-election results cannot simply be “written off as just midterm blues”.

The politician, who spoke to PA Media on condition of anonymity, said: “When we suffered by-election losses during the Cameron years for instance, it was taken on the chin because the government back then was actually doing Conservative things.

“Their economic policy, for instance, was far more conservative than today’s literally 80-seat majority Conservative government. People in the party held their nerve because there was a long-term economic plan, which Cameron and Osborne were competent at selling.

“That’s why a loss in Tiverton and Honiton can’t just be shrugged off. It precipitates electoral disaster, which can only be avoided by replacing Boris Johnson with the better leadership the Conservative Party needs and deserves.”

Voices: Oliver Dowden’s resignation is worse news for Boris Johnson than the double by-election defeat

17:39 , Rory Sullivan

Boris Johnson’s departure from No 10 looks like a foregone conclusion, writes Andrew Grice.

He adds:

The resignation of Oliver Dowden as Conservative Party chair is more significant than the party’s double defeat in Thursday’s by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield. It matters because someone in the cabinet has finally had the courage to stand up to Boris Johnson.

Read the full article here:

Oliver Dowden’s resignation is the real body blow to Boris Johnson | Andrew Grice

Wakefield victory is ‘stunning’, says Nandy

17:18 , Rory Sullivan

The shadow levelling-up secretary has praised her party’s “stunning” victory in the Wakefield by-election, singling out Keir Starmer for making Labour more electable.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme, Lisa Nandy said: “What’s being lost in all of this is that Wakefield is not a safe Labour seat.”

“We’ll never be complacent ... but this is a stunning result for the Labour Party and it really has lifted us right across the country,” she added.

Ms Nandy also said the party’s leader has “sorted out the problems in the party, he’s persuaded people to have a fresh look at us”.

People entitled to ‘attack me’ after by-election defeats, says Johnson

16:59 , Rory Sullivan

Boris Johnson has said he is fine with people continuing to “beat” him up and “attack” him after Thursday’s by-election defeats.

“That’s fine, that’s quite right, that is the job of politicians,” he explained.

“In the end, voters, journalists, they have no-one else to make their complaints to, I have to take that.”

The prime minister praised Oliver Dowden, who resigned from his role as Tory party chair on Friday, for his “good work”.

PM fails in bid to oust Commonwealth secretary-general

16:55 , Rory Sullivan

The prime minister has not had the best few days.

After his party was roundly beaten in two by-elections on Thursday, his bid to oust the secretary-general of the Commonwealth failed on Friday.

He had sought to replace Baroness Scotland, a Labour peer, with the Jamaican foreign minister Kamia Johnson Smith.

However, the 54-nation body voted in Baroness Scotland for a second term during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) on Friday.

“Much love always, I continue to serve, and of course, sincere congratulations to Baroness Scotland,” Ms Johnson Smith tweeted after the vote.

Global prosperity threatened by Putin’s war, says Johnson

16:34 , Rory Sullivan

The prime minister’s speech in Kigali has now turned to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Global prosperity and stability is being threatened by Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine,” Boris Johnson said.

“Many of the countries represented here in Kigali today find themselves bearing the brunt of Putin’s folly. Their populations brought closer to poverty.”

“We’re announcing a new £372 million package of UK aid and that funding will support the UN’s emergency response in the hardest hit countries,” he added.

US court decision to overrule Roe v Wade a ‘big step backwards’, says Boris Johnson

16:27 , Rory Sullivan

Boris Johnson has hit out at the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, calling it a “big step backwards”.

“I’ve always believed in a woman’s right to choose,” he added.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details:

US court decision to overrule Roe v Wade a ‘big step backwards’, says Boris Johnson

PM vows to ‘listen and learn’ after by-election defeats

16:14 , Rory Sullivan

Boris Johnson has promised to “listen and learn” from Thursday’s by-election losses.

Speaking on a visit to Rwanda, the prime minister, who faces calls from within his own party to resign, said: “I’m not going to pretend these are brilliant results.

“We’ve got to listen, we’ve got to learn. But it wasn’t that long ago, just over a year ago, that we won a spectacular by-election victory.

“When people are finding it tough they send messages to politicians and politicians have got to respond.”

Government must show ‘laser-like focus on delivery’, says Zahawi

16:00 , Rory Sullivan

The government must listen to voters and have a “laser-like focus on delivery”, the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said after the by-election results.

He did not mention the beleaguered prime minister Boris Johnson in his tweet on the subject:

Attorney general backs PM after by-election defeats

15:36 , Rory Sullivan

The attorney general has spoken in support of Boris Johnson, following the Conservatives’ crushing by-election defeats yesterday.

Suella Braverman said the prime minister was to thank for the party’s significant majority in 2019, saying this success has “not been undermined in any way” by the recent defeats.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “Whilst we have these two disappointing results today, I don’t think those should be extrapolated across to read as a reflection on Boris Johnson’s leadership.”

“I think right now we’ve got to learn the lessons from these elections, for sure, but also focus on the national priorities,” she added.

The 6 weirdest Liberal Democrat election victory stunts

15:15 , Matt Mathers

The Liberal Democrats have sometimes struggled to get media attention, usually losing out in column inches to Labour and the Tories.

As a result the party has developed a flair for imaginative and eye-catching media stunts. Today Ed Davey and his party’s new MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Richard Foord, stood in front of a blue door which had “show Boris Johnson the door” written across it.

Our policy correspondent, Jon Stone, takes a look back at some of the other props the party has used at elections in the past:

The 6 weirdest Liberal Democrat election victory stunts

Readers poll: If Boris Johnson is removed from office, who should replace him?

15:00 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson is facing fresh questions about his premiership after leading the Tories to two byelection defeats last night in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton.

If he is eventually ousted from 10 Downing Street, who would you like to see replace him?

Have your say in our readers poll, which can be found via the link below:

Who should replace Boris Johnson? Have your say

Johnson ultra-loyalist Nadine Dorries backs PM - but other cabinet ministers remain silent

14:49 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson ultra-loyalist Nadine Dorries has rowed in behind the prime minister following last night’s byelection defeats, saying he is delivering for the country.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor; Dominic Raab, the deputy PM and justice secretary and Priti Patel, the home secretary, have also voiced their support for the Big Dog - after Oliver Dowden resigned.

But a significant number of other cabinet ministers - including Liz Truss, the foreign secretary - have remained silent. Ms Trusss is currently in Rwanda for the Commonwealth leaders’ summit.

“Great to be in Kigali for @CHOGM2022 for discussions on how we build a stronger, more resilient Commonwealth,” Ms Truss tweeted earlier. “As a group of democratic nations, the Commonwealth has a vital role to play in defending freedom and self-determination, and acting as a counterweight to malign actors.”

Other senior cabinet minister who have not commented on the defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton include Sajid Javid (health), Ben Wallace (defence), Nadhim Zahawi (education) and Kwasi Kwarteng (business).

Video: Former Tory leader Michael Howard says PM should resign after by-election defeat

14:32 , Rory Sullivan

Johnson a ‘very unpopular’ PM living in ‘parallel universe’, says former Tory MP

14:20 , Rory Sullivan

Neil Parish, the Tory MP who resigned after watching porn in the Commons, has said the prime minister is “very unpopular” and is living in a “parallel universe”.

Mr Parish’s former constituency of Tiverton & Honiton was won by the Liberal Democrats in yesterday’s by-election.

“Full credit to the Lib Dems for winning, but it’s a combination of our vote dropping dramatically, people switching, people staying at home and a very unpopular prime minister, which people have tactically voted against,” Mr Parish told Sky News after the result.

“I feel responsible in as much as I had to leave. I made a very foolish and bad mistake but I did the honourable thing and left.”

“He (the PM) has many good qualities. The trouble is he can’t just keep living in a parallel universe, there has to be reality,” the former MP added.

PM’s position now ‘more challenging’, says Welsh Tory leader

13:59 , Rory Sullivan

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has become the latest Tory to suggest Boris Johnson’s premiership is growing ever “more challenging”.

Andrew RT Davies said: “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?’

“I presume that’s getting far more challenging when the prime minister looked in the mirror these days with the messages that are coming from the ballot box such as by-elections we had last night.”

Voices: Labour’s win in Wakefield is not enough to put Keir Starmer in No 10

13:40 , Rory Sullivan

Labour and the Liberal Democrats seemingly had a lot to celebrate this morning after convincing by-election victories over the Conservatives in Wakeford and Tiverton & Honiton.

However, our political commentator John Rentoul believes the margin of victory indicates that Labour will struggle to win a majority at the next election.

Read more here:

Labour’s win in Wakefield is not enough to put Keir Starmer in No 10 | John Rentoul

Tory minister hits out at Dowden over resignation

13:20 , Rory Sullivan

Environment minister Zac Goldsmith appears to have criticised Oliver Dowden for resigning as chair of the Conservative party.

The Tory peer, who is a close Johnson ally, tweeted a video of Mr Dowden on Friday along with the words:

“Many, if not most politicians will enthusiastically embrace an idea if they think it helps them personally, but they will just as enthusiastically ditch it if they think that helps their fortunes. This is true of all parties.”

Lib Dems refuse to speculate about chances at next election

12:57 , Rory Sullivan

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has refused to say how many seats his party would like to win at the next general election.

This comes after their victory in the Tiverton by-election yesterday.

“It is difficult to say as we are maybe two years from a general election,” Sir Ed said.

“The fact we have won three parliamentary by-elections in just over 12 months suggests we are going to make advances and are going to get rid of a lot of Conservative MPs.

“It is too early to put a number on it but we certainly intend to get rid of a lot of Conservative MPs.”

Boris Johnson must go, says ex-Tory leader Michael Howard as he urges cabinet to act

12:10 , Matt Mathers

Former Conservative party leader Michael Howard has called on Boris Johnson to resign following the disastrous double defeat at by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton.

The Tory peer – who has remained quiet on the question of the leadership – also suggested that cabinet ministers should consider moving against the PM if he clings on at No 10.

Our politics correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Boris Johnson must go, says ex-Tory leader Michael Howard

Johnson can’t just plough on as normal, ex-tractor porn MP says

12:03 , Matt Mathers

The former Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton Neil Parish, whose resignation after watching porn in the House of Commons triggered the by-election in the Devon seat, has said Boris Johnson must “face reality” after losing the vote and MPs must decide the Prime Minister’s fate.

He said residents of the former Tory stronghold had spoken “loudly” by helping the Liberal Democrats overturn a 24,000 Conservative majority, a result Mr Johnson must look at “very seriously”.

Mr Parish told Breakfast on BBC Radio Devon on Friday: “What is becoming increasingly necessary is for the party, the MPs to consider what is the long-term position of the Prime Minister.

“The public are concerned.

“The people in Tiverton and Honiton have spoken and they’ve spoken loudly”.

Why is Boris Johnson in Rwanda?

11:46 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson is not planning on openly embracing his faltering flagship policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda on a one-way ticket during his visit to the East African nation.

The prime minister is opting not to visit the centres where migrants who have been forcibly removed from the UK would be housed if the scheme gets off the ground.

Sam Blewett reports:

Why is Boris Johnson in Rwanda?

‘Things only get worse'

11:31 , Matt Mathers

Speaking in Tiverton, Ed Davey said: "For years, Boris Johnson has told people things will get better. But under his leadership, things only get worse.

"So, let me tell the prime minister what the British people expect - they expect our country to be led. And he has shown no leadership, whatsoever."

Mr Davey accused the PM of taking the British people for granted as inflation soars and working people struggle to fill up their cars.

He added: "Boris Johnson has deceived the British people and taken them for granted for far too long."

Mr Davey said the Conservatives' excuses for by-election losses to the Liberal Democrats were "starting to wear thin".

"The spinners in Number 10 call this 'expectation management'," he said. "But I can tell Number 10 - the British people are sick of having their expectations managed."

‘Show Boris the door'

11:18 , Matt Mathers

Ed Davey has been speaking in Tiverton and Honiton where the party won last night's byelection - and he has a new prop.

The Lib Dem leader appeared alongside a blue door with "it's time to show Boris the door" written across it.

When the Lib Dems won the Cheshire and Amersham byelection last year, he posed with a hammer in front of a wall of blue bricks, claiming his party was ready to smash the Tories 'blue wall' of seats across southern England.

We'll have the main takeaways from Davey's speech shortly.

‘Industrial scale’ tactical voting sparks calls for Labour and Lib Dems to form electoral pact

11:10 , Matt Mathers

Labour and the Liberal Democrats were urged to forge an electoral pact to remove the Conservatives at the next general election after “industrial-scale” tactical voting saw Boris Johnson’s party lose two by-elections.

Our politics correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Industrial-scale’ tactical voting sparks calls for Labour-Lib Dem electoral pact

Resignation watch: Sunak vows to carry on and says ‘we all take responsibility’ for defeats

11:00 , Matt Mathers

Close attention has been paid to Rishi Sunak - a close ally of Oliver Dowden - this morning to see if he might also resign following the byelection defeats.

The chancellor has within the past half an hour vowed to carry on, although there was no mention of Boris Johnson in his statement.

"I’m sad that my colleague and friend @OliverDowden took the decision to resign this morning.

"We all take responsibility for the results and I’m determined to continue working to tackle the cost of living, including delivering NICs changes saving 30 million people on average £330."

Sturgeon - byelection results 'monumental and humiliating' for PM

10:34 , Matt Mathers

Speaking from the Royal Highland Show on Friday, Scottish first minister Ms Sturgeon urged Tory MPs to remove Boris Johnson.

"It's a monumental, massive, humiliating vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson," she said.

"People could see it coming 100 miles off and it should send a very strong message - if not to Boris Johnson, who is impervious to all of these things given his arrogance, it should send a very strong message to the Conservatives.

"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.

"If this is not a wake-up call to the Conservative Party, then it will just prove beyond doubt that they don't have the interests of any part of the UK in mind or at heart."

Tories can’t win majority at next election under Johnson, polling expert says

10:10 , Matt Mathers

The Tories can't win a majority at the next general election under Boris Johnson, a polling expert has said in the wake of last night's byelection defeats.

Peter Kellner, former president of YouGov, spoke to Sky News earlier.

Mr Kellner also claimed the two by-elections were a referendum on the prime minister's leadership.

"I've been saying for some time that I don't think the Conservatives can win under Boris Johnson," he said.

"I was saying that based on polls. But when you do get real votes in two very different parts of the country...the Conservative gets hammered in both...I would have thought the Tories' only chance is to change leader."

It will be 'difficult' to hold my seat, Tory grandee concedes

09:55 , Matt Mathers

Tory grandee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said there is "no doubt" it would be "difficult to hold" his seat if there were a by-election in his constituency now.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the MP for the Cotswolds and treasurer of the 1922 committee said: "I think, factually, if I were to run under a bus today it would be difficult to hold my seat. There's no doubt about that.

"I feel very sorry for all our volunteers, and indeed my colleagues, and indeed myself, who work very hard in these by-elections, but were simply defeated by the situation that we find ourselves in at the moment."

Dowden couldn’t go on ‘defending the indefensible’, senior Tory says

09:45 , Matt Mathers

Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden quit because he "can't go on defending the indefensible", a senior Tory has suggested.

Mr Dowden resigned shortly after the Tories lost by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton, where Partygate was again raised as an issue by voters.

"That Oliver Dowden has resigned is...significant," Sir Roger Gale, the North Thanet MP said.

"Oliver is an honourable and decent man and he's obviously decided that he can't go on defending the indefensible".

Minister - Oliver Dowden took a ‘personal view’ on quitting

09:35 , Matt Mathers

Oliver Dowden took a “personal view” on Boris Johnson in his resignation letter this morning, a government minister has said.

Paul Scully, the business minister, defended the PM’s “brazen approach” and insisted he would come up with “big ideas” to get the UK’s flailing economy back on track.

Mr Scully also said that the party did not need the “psychodrama” of leadership campaigns while inflation was spiralling.

Alastair Campbell brands Boris Johnson a ‘useless, lying crook’

09:25 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson is a "useless, lying crook", Alastair Campbell has said after the prime minister led his party to two defeats in last night's by-elections.

The former Labour spin doctor spoke to Sky News earlier after the Tories lost Wakefield to Labour and Tiverton and Honiton to the Lib Dems.

"The guy can't do the job," Mr Campbell said. "They all [Tory MPs] know he can't do the job.

More comments below:

Time for Tories to return to ‘moderate opinion’, says ex-minister

09:10 , Matt Mathers

Tory MP Robert Buckland blamed the cost of living and “deep concern” over Partygate for “very bad results” last night, Adam Forrest, our politics correspondent, reports.

The former minister said Mr Dowden’s resignation would create “further problems” for Mr Johnson – and called for the party to return to “mainstream, moderate opinion”.

But he defended his decision to support the PM at the recent confidence vote, saying it would be wrong to think that “removing another prime minister is job done”, adding: “I don’t think throwing over the captain now would be the right response.”

Watch: 'We'll get through this patch': Boris Johnson responds to by-election loss

09:00 , Thomas Kingsley

No more cabinet resignations, says Priti Patel

08:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Home secretary Priti Patel said the prime minister told her the government is “cracking on with task” after the double by-election defeats.

Asked what Boris Johnson said to her following the results, she told LBC: “The fact of the matter is that we're cracking on with the task.”

Pressed on what the PM said, she said: “Yes, exactly that, absolutely, that we are carrying on, working to grow our economy and address the cost of living... and providing the leadership that we need in challenging times.

“We do that collectively, we really do as one government working together.”

Asked if she thought there would be more resignations, she said: “I don’t.”

‘Difficult decisions to make’ after by-election losses, 1922 committee treasurer says

08:40 , Thomas Kingsley

The treasurer of the 1922 committee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the Conservatives will then have “some difficult decisions to make, no doubt” on how to move forward.

He said he will discuss the by-election defeats at a Conservative AGM (Annual General Meeting) on Friday evening and expects to make "difficult decisions".

The MP for The Cotswolds told the BBC's Today programme that MPs would in the coming days decide whether steps should be taken to oust Boris Johnson.

Speaking on a phone line, Mr Clifton-Brown said: “I'm not going to come on out this morning and speculate on behalf of my colleagues as to whether we should or shouldn't change the rules. Clearly what's going to happen over the next few days is the Prime Minister is going to set out to both his Cabinet and with us as Members of Parliament.”

The line then broke off momentarily before he added: “We will then in the parliamentary party have to make a judgment as to whether we think that is a satisfactory explanation or whether we should actually take steps to have a new prime minister.”

The Tory grandee, who voted against Mr Johnson in the confidence vote over his leadership, added: “I've got an AGM tonight, I will consider what my members say, I will then discuss this matter with my colleagues, we will hear what the prime minister says and then we will have to make some difficult decisions, no doubt.”

‘We’ve smashed it!’ says Starmer in Wakefield

08:32 , Thomas Kingsley

More from Sir Keir Starmer in Wakefield following the by-election win.

“We’ve absolutely smashed it,” said Mr Starmer in Wakefield on Friday morning. “This is a great result. This is vindication of all of our hard work over the last two years.”

He told supporters and assembled press: “What a judgement this is on the Tories and Boris Johnson – out of touch, out of ideas, and if they had any decency they would get out the way for the sake of the country.”

Starmer added: “When we form the next Labour – and we’re going to do it – Wakefield will go down as the birthplace of that. Fantastic.”

The new Labour MP for Simon Lightwood thanked campaigners, saying: “We turned Wakefield red again. Now it’s time to get on with the job.”

Pictured: Keir Starmer arrives in Wakefield following by-election win

08:30 , Thomas Kingsley

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party's by-election victory in Wakefield shows the Conservatives are “out of touch, out of ideas and if they had any decency they would get out of the way for the sake of the country”.

NEW: Boris Johnson responds to Oliver Dowden resignation

08:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Boris Johnson has written a letter to former party chairman Oliver Dowden following his shock response this morning.

Mr Johnson thanked Dowden for his work as culture secretary and party chairman but insisted that he will lead the government in levelling up the country.

“Whilst I completely understand your disappointment with the by-election results, this government was elected with an historic mandate just over two years ago to unite and level up. I look forward to continuing to work together on that,” Mr Johnson wrote in the letter.

Britain no longer wants ‘liar and crook’, says Alastair Campbell

08:05 , Thomas Kingsley

Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell told Sky News the by-election results showed the Tories were doomed to election defeat.

“The country does not want a liar and crook as prime minister and they are fed up with this cabinet of nodding dogs propping him up,” he said. “At least Oliver Dowden has had the guts to bark a little.”

Mr Campbell added: “The sooner he is gone the better it will be for Britain … There’s part of me hoping he doesn’t go, there’s part of me thinking it will be terrible for the country.”

UK ‘in chaos’ under Boris Johnson, Sir Ed Davey says

07:55 , Thomas Kingsley

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told LBC: “We've just had the biggest by-election victory here in Devon.

“No majority of this size has ever been overturned in a by-election, so I'm pretty chipper today.

“We are smiling here and the message from Tiverton and Honiton, the people here in Devon, is that Boris Johnson must go. I think they've spoken for the whole of the British people and it really is time he left.”

He added that the country was “in chaos” under Mr Johnson's leadership and the Conservatives appeared to have no plan.

The Liberal Democrats had fronted a “positive” campaign in the constituency with policies that had “energised” people while the current Government falters, he said.

“I think it speaks on behalf of people - Boris Johnson really must be pushed out,” Sir Ed said.

Conservatives ‘sleepwalking to defeat’ in next election, former chief of staff says

07:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Tory peer Lord Barwell, who was Theresa May's chief of staff in No 10, said if the Conservative Party carries on as it is, it is “sleepwalking to a defeat at the next election”.

He told Sky News he was “very pleased” someone senior in the party seemed to have “finally” recognised this and done something about it, as Oliver Dowden resigned as Tory chairman.

He said Boris Johnson's authority is “very significantly diminished” and “draining away”.

Lord Barwell said Cabinet ministers have got to ask themselves what it does to their own reputations if they continue to stand by him.

“The evidence is mounting up that he has lost the support of the public that he once had, that it looks extraordinarily unlikely that he's going to be able to win that back,” he said.

“So, if they allow him to carry on, then they're going to allow him to lead the Conservative Party to a significant defeat at the next election.”

Labour frontbencher rejects electoral pact with Lib Dems

07:40 , Thomas Kingsley

Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said the result in Wakefield was “fantastic” – saying a 12 per cent swing in the seat was “what we need to win a general election”.

She told Sky News: “We still have a long way to go, but this is a really good base camp if we’re going to climb a mountain.”

Rejecting the idea of a formal electoral pact with the Lib Dems, Thornberry said: “The result in Wakefield, if that was the result across the country, there would be no need for any pacts … We just fight this as Labour and we will see.”

Boris Johnson to blame for results, says former No 10 pollster

07:25 , Thomas Kingsley

James Johnson, former pollster at No 10, said “there is only one person to blame for the Wakefield result”.

The polling expert said the main reason that swing voters in west Yorkshire chose Labour was “Boris Johnson tried to cover up partygate, and lied to the public”.

Former England and Manchester United footballer Gary Neville said the Tories were on the “brink of collapse.”

“This is what a failing organisation looks like. The problem is they’re running our country. OliverDowden going is a big one. He knows it’s a sinking ship,” Neville wrote on Twitter.

NEW: Boris Johnson responds to Oliver Dowden resignation

07:23 , Thomas Kingsley

Boris Johnson has thanked Oliver Dowden after he resigned as Tory party co-chairman.

Speaking to broadcasters in Kigali, the prime minister: “It's absolutely true we've had some tough by-election results, they've been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things, but we've got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment.

“I think, as a government, I've got to listen to what people are saying, in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which, I think, for most people is the number one issue.

“We're now facing pressures on the cost of living, we're seeing spikes in fuel prices, energy costs, food costs - that's hitting people.

“We've got to recognise there is more we've got to do and we certainly will, we will keep going, addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch.”

Time for Tories to 'wake up', says former No 10 chief of staff

07:10 , Thomas Kingsley

Gavin Barwell, former No 10 chief of staff under Theresa May, said the results should show the Conservatives it is “time to wake up before it is too late”.

“Finally someone in the cabinet says ‘Enough is enough’,” he tweeted on Mr Dowden’s exit. “These by-elections - particularly Tiverton – show the Conservative Party is sleepwalking to defeat at the next election.”

Voters have delivered their message on Boris Johnson. The coup is on

07:03 , Thomas Kingsley

Traditionally it was African heads of state that suddenly lost power at home while off globetrotting to international conferences.

Boris Johnson, currently in Rwanda to avoid his own MPs, seems set to turn convention that on its head.

A coup d’etat feels a little more likely now than it did even a few days ago. Unusually, the party chairman Oliver Dowden, previously shamefully loyal to Johnson, has quit in disgust (arguably before he was scapegoated and fired).

Read the full Voices piece from Sean O’Grady:

Voters have delivered their message on Boris Johnson. The coup is on

‘An honourable letter from an honourable man,’ MPs react to Dowden resignation

06:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Conservative MP Simon Hoare described former party chairman Oliver Dowden described his resignation nation as “an honourable letter from an honourable man.”

Writing on Twitter the North Dorset MP added: “OliverDowden is not to blame for these results. Since 2015 I have always been proud to call Oliver a friend. Never more so than today.”

Conservative MP, Sir Roger Gale who has called for Boris Johnson to step down said: “Oliver Dowden is a decent and honourable man who has clearly decided that he can no longer defend the indefensible.”

Oliver Dowden resigns as Tory chair after Conservative losses in by-elections

06:22 , Namita Singh

Oliver Dowden has resigned as chairman of the Conservative Party after it suffered two by-election defeats, saying in a letter to prime minister Boris Johnson that “someone must take responsibility”.

Mr Dowden said in his letter to the PM the by-elections “are the latest in a run of very poor results for our party”.

“Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.

“We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”

The MP ended his letter by saying: “I want to emphasise that this is a deeply personal decision that I have taken alone.

“I will, as always, remain loyal to the Conservative Party.”

Adam Forrest reports:

Tory chairman Oliver Dowden resigns after double by-election loss

‘Voters rejecting PM’, says former No 10 adviser

06:12 , Namita Singh

Former No 10 adviser Tim Montgomerie, creator of the Conservative Home website, said the result in Tiverton was “massive”, adding: “This is a crisis for the Conservative party.”

He told Sky News: “Voters are reacting to the character of the prime minister. They are rejecting the character of the prime minister. And if the Conservative doesn’t act soon… the whole Conservative party will be judged. We cannot let this situation continue.”

Breaking: Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden resigns after double by-election loss

05:55 , Namita Singh

Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden has submitted his letter of resignation after the Conservative’s double by-election loss.

Read the report here:

Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden resigns after double by-election loss

‘The next Labour government has been born’ - Lightwood

05:51 , Namita Singh

New Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood declared that “the next Labour government has been born in this room tonight”.

In his speech after being announced the winner of the West Yorkshire by-election, he said: “Tonight, the people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people. They have said unreservedly: ‘Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated’.

“It’s not acceptable that a quarter of our children in Wakefield live in poverty, it’s not acceptable that hundreds of people leave A&E every month without being treated because of record NHS waiting times, and it’s not acceptable that convictions for crimes like robbery have fallen by almost half in the past five years.

“People in Wakefield and across the country are sick of the deceit and dishonesty of this government.”

Tories handed ‘wake-up call’ with double defeat in Tiverton and Wakefield by-elections

05:36 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson’s Conservatives suffered a historic double defeat on Friday morning as voters turned against them in both the Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield by-elections.

The Liberal Democrats swept to victory in Devon, as Richard Foord overcame a Tory majority of 24,239 votes – the largest ever overturned at a by-election.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was the “biggest by-election victory our country has ever seen”, adding that the result should be a “wake-up call” to Tory MPs about Mr Johnson’s leadership.

Labour’s Simon Robert Lightwood won in Wakefield after winning the west Yorkshire seat by almost 5,000 votes, overturning a smaller Conservative lead of 3,358 votes.

Read the details in this joint report by Holly Bancroft and Adam Forrest :

Tories handed ‘wake-up call’ with double defeat in Tiverton and Wakefield

Labour ‘rebuilding the red wall’, says Lightwood

05:27 , Namita Singh

Simon Lightwood, the newly elected MP from Wakefield, told reporters Labour was “rebuilding the red wall” and that the biggest issue on the doorstep throughout the campaign had been the cost of living crisis.

Asked what the victory would mean for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, he said: “I think it speaks volumes. We are rebuilding the red wall and this is the birthplace of the next Labour government.”

Mr Lightwood added: “We’re rebuilding the trust of the electorate and people are ready for a fresh start. They’re sick of all the lies and deceit of Boris Johnson and we offer that alternative vision.”

Asked whether the success would translate into other red wall seats across the north, he said: “I think we can be certain of that.”

'This result is absolutely staggering' says Foord

05:12 , Namita Singh

Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat winner from Tiverton and Honiton, told The Independent that the party was not expecting a win of this scale.

“This result is absolutely staggering,” he said. “ We weren’t expecting a win, let alone a win of this scale.

“We had noticed that momentum has been shifting from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats over the course of this campaign and particularly over recent days because of the very positive agenda that we were setting out but this is absolutely seismic, we’ve overturned the biggest majority in by election history.

“There is a very clear trend in the Blue Wall constituencies that people are looking at the positive Liberal democrat proposals and voting for the Lib Dems.

“I certainly think that some life long Conservatives couldn’t bear the idea of voting for the Conservative party while it’s lead by Boris Johnson and so in terms of retaining their support, regardless of what happens in the Conservative party internal politics, I will work really very hard to represent every single constituent.”

Labour and Lib Dems urged to work together at general election

05:00 , Namita Singh

Naomi Smith, chief executive of the Best for Britain, campaigning for the anti-Conservative electoral pact, said the majorities at both by-elections “could not have been overturned without tactical voting and an unofficial electoral pact between the opposition parties”.

Urging Keir Starmer and Ed Davey to collaborate, she added: “Labour and the Lib Dems mustn’t rest on their laurels, repeating this success will be much more difficult in a general election. Our polling proves they will need to collaborate to defeat the government.”

Davey: ‘Public sick of Johnson’s lies and law-breaking’

04:58 , Namita Singh

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey slammed the Conservatives after his party secured a sweeping win in Tiverton and Honiton.

“The Liberal Democrats have made political history with this stunning win. It is the biggest by-election victory our country has ever seen,” he said.

“This should be a wake-up call for all those Conservative MPs propping up Boris Johnson. They cannot afford to ignore this result.

“The people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for the country.

“The public is sick of Boris Johnson’s lies and law-breaking and it’s time for Conservative MPs to finally do the right thing and sack him.”

What next for Boris Johnson after double by-election blow?

04:39 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson’s authority has suffered a double blow as the Tories suffered humiliating defeats in two parliamentary by-elections.

Here’s a breakdown of what the results from the Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections mean for Boris Johnson:

What next for Boris Johnson after double by-election blow?

Lib Dem winner Richard Foord's victory speech in full

04:37 , Namita Singh

Here is the victory speech from Richard Foord, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Honiton:

Thank you. I’d like to thank the Returning Officer, her staff and my fellow candidates for a well run election and count. To my wife Kate, and our three wonderful children - thank you. I couldn’t have done this without your love.

I’d like to thank my election agent Simon Drage, my incredible campaign team, the local party members and Liberal Democrat supporters here in Tiverton & Honiton, and the thousands of Liberal Democrat campaigners from across the country who came to volunteer with me here in Devon.

Your extraordinary efforts have delivered a historic result and sent a shockwave through British politics. Tonight, the people of Tiverton & Honiton have spoken for Britain. They’ve sent a loud and clear message: It’s time for Boris Johnson to go. And go now.

Ours is a great country and there’s no greater part of it than Devon. But every day Boris Johnson clings to office, he brings further shame, chaos and neglect. Communities like ours are on their knees. Every one of us standing on this stage tonight has heard the pain people are suffering as the cost of living crisis starts to bite.

Yet when Boris Johnson could be fighting for farmers, for our NHS and for rural services, he’ll be fighting once again to save his own skin. I also have a simple message for those Conservative MPs propping up this failing Prime Minister: The Liberal Democrats are coming.

If you don’t take action to restore decency, respect and British values to Downing Street, you too will face election defeats like the one we have seen here tonight. It is time to do what’s right for our country. You know in your heart that your leader is not the person to lead this great nation into the future.

Across the country, the Liberal Democrats are taking on the Conservatives and winning. Thousands of lifelong Conservative voters, appalled by Boris Johnson’s lies and fed up with being taken for granted.

Thousands of Labour voters, choosing to lend their votes to the candidate with the best chance of beating the Conservatives.  Thousands of people who believe our politics should be about building a better life for everyone, not a daily parade of self-serving chaos. All of them, voting for the Liberal Democrats.

These are difficult times for our country. The cost of living crisis - as we know here in Devon - is hitting hard: people forced to choose between filling up their car, or putting food on the table.

Our local NHS is teetering on the brink. Our rural economy is in a precarious state with people’s livelihoods at risk.  Our country is crying out for leadership.

I served as an officer in the British Army for 10 years Mr Johnson. I can tell you that leadership means acting with decency and integrity. It means keeping your word. It means setting an example and putting other people’s needs before your own. I served alongside friends who personified these values, and laid down their lives in service of their country.

And yet your behaviour Mr Johnson, makes a mockery of leadership. By any measure, you are unfit to lead. The people of Tiverton & Honiton have told you tonight that enough is enough. They demand a change. The only decent course of action left open to you is to heed their call and resign.

I want to pay tribute to Ed Davey. Ed, thanks to you the Liberal Democrats are taking on Boris Johnson across the blue wall and winning. From Chesham & Amersham to North Shropshire to here in Tiverton & Honiton.

You believed from the start that this result was possible. You rallied our troops and led from the front. Whether it is on the streets of Seaton or Bampton, Honiton or Branscombe, Axminster or Tiverton, you have led the charge for change.

But finally, and most importantly of all, thank you to the people of Tiverton & Honiton, and everyone in our part of Devon.   For your support throughout this campaign. For putting your faith in me to be your champion in Parliament.

As your local MP, I promise I will work tirelessly for you. I will always put local people and our communities first. Whether you supported me or supported someone else, I want to let you know, I’m here to represent you and to stand up for everyone in Tiverton & Honiton. I will never take you for granted.

‘County has lost confidence in the Tories,’ says Starmer

04:35 , Namita Singh

Following the win in Wakefield, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the results “has shown the country has lost confidence in the Tories”.

Sir Keir Starmer

“Britain deserves better. Wakefield has voted Labour because we have the solutions for the challenges facing the British people.

“The Labour Party is back on the side of working people, winning seats where we lost before, and ready for government.”

‘You are unfit to lead’: Foord slams Johnson after by-election results

04:17 , Namita Singh

Former army major Richard Foord, speaking after the sweeping victory for Liberal Democrats in Tiverton and Honiton by-election, says that the “historic result has sent a shockwave through British politics”.

Richard Foord

“Our country is crying out for leadership, I served as an officer in the British army for ten years, Mr Johnson, and I can tell you that acting in leadership means acting with integrity.

“Your behaviour Mr Johnson, makes a mockery of leadership. By any measure, you are unfit to lead.”

BREAKING

04:11 , Katy Clifton

The Liberal Democrats have swept to victory in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election in a crushing defeat for Boris Johnson’s Conservative party.

Former army major Richard Foord managed to overturn a gargantuan margin of 24,239 votes to become the Liberal Democrats fourteenth MP. His historic victory is the first time since the seat was created in 1997 that Tiverton and Honiton has not been blue.

Read more below:

Lib Dem victory in Tiverton and Honiton by-election deals blow to Boris Johnson

BREAKING

03:59 , Katy Clifton

Labour has won the Wakefield by-election, taking back the red wall seat won by the Tories in 2019.

Read more here:

Labour wins back red wall seat in crunch Wakefield by-election

Helen Hurford arrives in Crediton

03:49 , Katy Clifton

Helen Hurford, the Tory candidate for Tiverton and Honiton, arrived at the election count in Crediton at around 3.30am, where she is projected to lose the previously safe Conservative seat.

According to the Press Association, Ms Hurford has locked herself in the room previously reserved for media interviews at the constituency’s election count in a sports centre in Crediton.

Ms Hurford declined to answer questions from the waiting press, instead opting for a closed-door interview with Devon Live.

03:40 , Holly Bancroft

We’re inching closer to getting the results in both by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton.

Excitement is building here at the Tiverton count with the Lib Dem team expected to make an entrance in the next fifteen minutes. The Wakefield result is expected any minute and the Tiverton result is expected around 4:30am or perhaps even earlier.

The Tiverton results will be read out in alphabetical order meaning the Lib Dem candidate Richard Foord’s vote count will be announced first. This will be followed by the Tory candidate Helen Hurford’s results and then Labour’s Liz Pole.

Tories braced for trouble as votes counted in crunch by-elections

03:31 , Holly Bancroft

Boris Johnson faces the potential loss of two Tory seats as votes are counted in by-elections which could lead to further questions about his leadership.

Ballots were cast in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton after contests triggered by Conservative MPs resigning in disgrace.

With Labour challenging in the red wall seat in West Yorkshire and the Liberal Democrats hoping to overturn a huge Conservative majority in Devon, defeat for the Tories will heap pressure on Mr Johnson just weeks after 41% of his own MPs said they did not have confidence in him.

Mr Johnson has suggested it would be “crazy” for him to quit if the party lost the two seats, and claimed he was “very hopeful” about the results.

Read the full piece here:

Tories braced for trouble as votes counted in crunch by-elections

Does the PM really use his bizarre comments to manipulate search engine findings?

03:15 , Holly Bancroft

We all know Boris Johnson says odd things from time to time. It’s part of a carefully crafted political persona that seems to go down well with a lot of voters – at least until he starts chuntering about Peppa Pig to the Confederation of British Industry.

But this week I came across an intriguing theory that has made me completely rethink the way I look at the PM’s peculiar use of anecdotes and allusions. It comes from Gareth Morgan of Liberty Marketing Group, who used an article for Open Democracy to analyse some of Mr Johnson’s comments from a digital marketing perspective.

Read more below:

Editor’s Letter: Does the PM make odd comments to manipulate search engine findings?

‘Voters are sick of Boris Johnson’

03:14 , Katy Clifton

Labour MP Darren Jones said likely wins for his party in Wakefield and the Liberal Democrats in Tiverton & Honiton was a sign that voters were “sick” of Boris Johnson and the Conservatives.

Speaking from the election count in Devon, Mr Jones said: “There is a similar story between Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield.

“Voters in the rural south west and in the north of England are sick of Boris Johnson and the Tories.

“In both by-elections the voters are sending a message to the Conservatives that enough is enough.”

Tory MP: ‘It’s very normal not to win by-elections'

03:00 , Holly Bancroft

Andrea Jenkyns, the Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, has said that it is normal to see big swings against the government in by-elections.

Speaking from the count in Wakefield, Ms Jenkyns said: “We have been in government for 12 years and it’s very normal not to win by-elections.”

She denied that Boris Johnson was turning voters away and said that sending migrants to Rwanda was a bigger issue on the doorstep than Partygate.

Lib Dems say Tiverton by-election looking like a ‘clear win’ for them

02:55 , Holly Bancroft

The Liberal Democrats have come out fighting with a statement saying that they are expecting a “clear win” in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election.

A spokesperson has said: “This is looking like a clear win. The people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken up for the country. This is an historic victory for the Liberal Democrats and a devastating blow for those Conservative MPs who continue to prop up Boris Johnson."

Lib Dem leader hints at a historic by-election win

02:34 , Holly Bancroft

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has hinted that his party could be set for a historic by-election win in Tiverton and Honiton.

He cryptically tweeted: “Looks like I’m going to need a bigger hammer.”

Pictured: Votes are counted in the Wakefield by-election

02:30 , Holly Bancroft

Here’s a run down of what would be a good or bad result for the Tories

02:15 , Holly Bancroft

Political adviser and pollster James Johnson has put together his take on what would be a good and bad result for the Conservatives tonight.

Counting now underway at the Tiverton and Honiton by-election

02:06 , Holly Bancroft

Counting of votes is now underway at the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, officials have confirmed.

Counters have spent the past three hours verifying the ballots and now move on to counting them.

Over in Wakefield, the media room has been told that a result is expected at around 4am.

Case says he had talks about roles for Carrie Johnson

02:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Simon Case has admitted that he had “an informal conversation” with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s charity about potential “opportunities” for Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie.

The Cabinet secretary revealed that in 2020 he was prompted by a now-former member of the team at No 10 to ask the Royal Foundation about a position at the Earthshot prize for Mr Johnson’s then-fiance.

But Mr Case – who has close links to the Duke of Cambridge, being his former private secretary – insisted that he had not endorsed her for any paid work.

Read the full story here

Simon Case admits he had ‘informal’ talks with charity about roles for Carrie Johnson

Voter turnout at Tiverton and Honiton by-election is 52.3 percent

01:59 , Holly Bancroft

Turnout in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election was 52.3 percent - a total of 42,707 votes, council officials have said.

Labour in Wakefield: ‘Early signs very positive'

01:51 , Katy Clifton

A Labour source on the ground in Wakefield said: “The early signs are very positive and suggest that lifelong Tory voters and those we lost in 2019 are voting Labour – showing the progress we’ve made.”

01:48 , Holly Bancroft

The turnout figures at the Tiverton and Honiton by-election are expected soon and verification of the votes is due to end shortly.

Turnout is predicted to be higher than 52 percent, according to Mid Devon council.

Things are looking positive for the Liberal Democrats, with their treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine MP saying that there are “some good signs” in Tiverton.

Pictured: Votes are verified at the Tiverton and Honiton by-election count

01:44 , Holly Bancroft

Wakefield turnout down 25% on 2019 general election

01:15 , Katy Clifton

Turnout in the Wakefield by-election was 39.09 per cent, Wakefield Council said.

Some 27,205 verified ballots were cast out of a total electorate of 69,601.

The turnout in the 2019 general election was 64.15 per cent.