How did they vote? Full list of Wellingborough and Kingswood by-election results
16 February 2024, 06:35 | Updated: 16 February 2024, 06:38
Labour overturned two Tory majorities in the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections on Friday - here’s a breakdown of how constituents voted.
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In Wellingborough, Gen Kitchen won 13,844 votes compared to her Tory opponent Helen Harrison who polled 7,408.
This means that the Labour MP achieved a majority of 6,436 and swing of 28.5% in the Northamptonshire seat - the largest swing of this parliament and the second largest since World War Two.
It was just short of the largest post-war by-election swing from Tory to Labour, which was 29.1% at the Dudley West by-election in December 1994.
Labour needed to achieve a shift of 17.9% to win - meaning 18 in every 100 people who voted Conservative in 2019 needed to switch sides in order for them to overturn the former Tory stronghold.
It is the third biggest Tory majority the party has overturned at a by-election since the war, behind those at Mid Bedfordshire in October 2023 (24,664) and Selby & Ainsty in July 2023 (20,137).
Voter turnout was 30,145, which is around 38.1% of the eligible electorate.
It is the first time Labour has represented the seat of Wellingborough since 2005.
Read more: Labour wins Kingswood as Rishi Sunak faces double by-election misery
In Kingswood, Damien Egan took the seat in Gloucestershire which had been held by Tory MP Chris Skidmore since 2010.
He won 11,176 votes, while Tory candidate Sam Bromiley polled 8,675, giving Labour a majority of 2,501.
The turnout was 24,905, which is around 37.1% of eligible voters in the constituency.
Labour needed a swing in the share of the vote of 11.4% to secure victory in the Kingswood seat, and went on to achieve 16.4%.
The constituency of Kingswood is being abolished at the next general election, which by law must take place no later than January 2025, meaning Mr Egan will represent the seat for only a few months.
But he has already been selected as Labour's candidate at the general election for the new constituency of Bristol North East, which incorporates part of Kingswood.
The results mean that the Conservatives have lost more by-elections in a single parliament than any government since the 1960s.
Meanwhile, the Reform party made major gains in the two by-elections, as it finished third in Wellingborough with 13% of the vote, its best performance at a by-election yet.
Reform candidate Ben Habib received 3,919 votes for the Northamptonshire seat.
In Kingswood, it also finished in third place with 10% of the vote, its second-best performance behind Wellingborough.
Reform candidate Rupert Lowe polled 2,758 votes for the Gloucestershire seat.
Labour's wins mean the Conservatives have now lost 10 by-elections in the course of this parliament - two more than the eight defeats suffered by the 1992-97 Conservative administration led by John Major.
It is more than any previous government since the 1966-70 Labour administration of Harold Wilson, which endured 15 losses.
Wellingborough full result list:
Gen Kitchen (Labour) 13,844
Helen Harrison (Conservative) 7,408
Ben Habib (Reform) 3,919
Ana Savage Gunn (Liberal Democrat) 1,422
Marion Turner-Hawes (no description) 1,115
Will Morris (Green) 1,020
Kev Watts (Independent) 533
Alex Merola (Britain First) 477
Nick The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony)
Andre Pyne-Bailey (Independent) 172
Ankit Love Jay Mala (no description) 18
Kingswood full result list:
Damien Egan (Labour) 11,176
Sam Bromiley (Conservative) 8,675
Rupert Lowe (Reform) 2,578
Lorraine Francis (Green) 1,450
Andrew Brown (Liberal Democrat) 861
Nicholas Wood (Ukip) 129
