British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's vote-winning reputation may be dented as he is at risk of losing two parliamentary seats.
TIVERTON/WAKEFIELD, England – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could this week lose two parliamentary seats that once illustrated his broad appeal, showing his declining popularity that could spur his party to try to find a way to oust him.
Johnson secured the biggest Conservative majority in three decades at the 2019 national election by upending conventional British politics and winning in both the Conservatives’ traditional southern heartlands and in more industrial areas in central and northern England. In the rural market town of Tiverton, Jenny Kane, 72, a part-time yoga teacher, said she had voted Conservative, but would not do so now because of the unresolved tensions with the European Union and “partygate” when Johnson attended lockdown-breaking parties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would have voted Conservative if it wasn’t for the situation with the immigration flights to Rwanda. That’s made a massive difference to myself and my husband,” said Lizzie Bowman, 58, describing it as showing “unconscionable behavior.” In Wakefield, a town about a four-hour drive north of London, voters said the government needed to do more to help people deal with the highest inflation in three decades.
Lawson said she knew people who had started using foodbanks and friends who said they were worried they would have to stop using their cars because of the rising cost of petrol.