British PM’s party scores shock win in opposition stronghold Hartlepool
- Britain’s ruling Conservative Party snatches historically left-wing seat from opposition
- Result is a boost for Boris Johnson, despite a rocky few months for the prime minister
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives scored an upset victory in an opposition stronghold on Friday, after Britain held its first major electoral test since Brexit and the coronavirus crisis.
The “Super Thursday” regional and local elections could reshape the UK as pro-independence forces in Scotland bid to break away. Results for the Scottish Parliament were due on Saturday.
Hartlepool is a rust-belt constituency deep in Labour’s northeastern heartland which has never voted Conservative since its creation in 1974.
The vote in the strongly pro-Brexit constituency was called alongside the local polls after its Labour incumbent quit over allegations of sexual harassment.
“It’s quite clear when we see the ballots land on the table today, that we haven’t been able to catch enough of those numbers to get us over the line today,” Labour’s shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon told the BBC.