\n<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s governing Conservative Party has suffered crushing defeats in two <\/span>parliamentary elections in a new blow to its embattled leader, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose future has been questioned by critics within his fractious political party.<\/p>\n Election results announced early Friday showed the Conservatives had lost seats they had held in Kingswood, near Bristol, and in Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire \u2014 a district that had been regarded as one of the party\u2019s more impregnable strongholds. Votes had been cast on Thursday to replace two Conservative lawmakers who had quit Parliament. <\/p>\n With a general election expected later this year, the defeats are likely to compound Mr. Sunak\u2019s difficulties at a time when the British economy is shrinking, interest rates are high and Britain\u2019s health service seems to be in a state of almost permanent crisis. Opinion polls show his party trailing the opposition Labour Party by double-digit margins.<\/p>\n The first result, announced around 2 a.m., came from Kingswood, where Labour defeated the Conservatives by 11,176 votes to 8,675. In Wellingborough, Labour performed even better by securing a seat that, in the last general election, the Conservatives won by more than 18,000 votes. This time, Labour claimed victory by 13,844 votes to 7,408.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, described the Wellingborough vote as a \u201cterrible result for the Conservatives,\u201d adding that it would give \u201can awful lot for Mr. Sunak to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n Reform U.K., a small right-wing party, performed better than expected, finishing third in both elections. Turnout for both contests was low, at less than 40 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The gloomy mood within the Conservative Party had already deepened on Thursday, after the release of economic data showing that in the last months of 2023, Britain had officially entered a recession.<\/a><\/p>\n Though the latest contraction of 0.3 percent in Britain\u2019s gross domestic product was shallow, the confirmation that the economy had shrunk and dipped into recession was nonetheless a blow to Mr. Sunak, who had made a series of pledges last year, including to spur economic growth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In recent weeks, ministers have asserted that the economy had turned the corner, with Mr. Sunak urging Britons to \u201cstick to the plan\u201d he had outlined to combat inflation and revive the economy. That argument, which is likely to be a cornerstone of the Conservative Party\u2019s election campaign, could become harder to sustain before growth returns. On Thursday, the Labour Party sought to blame Mr. Sunak directly for what it called \u201cRishi\u2019s recession.\u201d<\/p>\n