UK PM Rishi Sunak faces a new electoral headache after Boris Johnson resigns

PM Rishi Sunak faces a new electoral headache after Boris Johnson’s surprise resignation from Parliament triggered at least three byelections that could highlight softening support for the Conservative Party. Johnson quit Friday night after receiving the finding of the Parliament’s Privileges Committee investigation into whether he misled lawmakers over his knowledge of Covid rule breaches by officials. While the findings haven’t been made public, the former premier called the report a “political hit job” in a scathing resignation letter.
Sunak will have more than just Johnson’s seat to defend. Nadine Dorries, a key Johnson ally, also resigned Friday from her Mid Bedfordshire seat after she was denied a peerage in Johnson’s resignation honor list. On Saturday, Nigel Adams announced he was standing down as a member of UK parliament with immediate effect, triggering a third byelection.
The byelections complicate Sunak’s hopes of further narrowing the gap with the opposition Labour Party ahead of a general election due by January 2025. Johnson hinted that he may attempt to return at some point. “It is very sad to be leaving parliament – at least for now,” he said.
Some Johnson critics within the Tory ranks want Sunak to bar Johnson from running again in the next general election, while his supporters warned such a move could rip the party apart. Bloomberg