Voters began heading to the polls on Thursday in two closely watched UK by-elections that risk re-newing pressure on beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson following months of scandals and setbacks.
His ruling Conservatives are tipped to lose both contests, for the parliamentary seats of Tiverton and Honiton in southwest England and Wakefield in the north, after both Tory MPs resigned in disgrace.
Tiverton and Honiton’s MP Neil Parish quit after admitting watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons, while Wakefield’s Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.
Polls opened at 06:00 GMT and will close at 21:00 GMT, with results expected in the early hours of Friday.
The votes come just weeks after Johnson nar-rowly survived an attempt by his own lawmakers to oust him as party leader and prime minister.
The June 6 vote among Conservative MPs saw more than 40% of the parliamentary party desert him, leaving him severely weakened and struggling to reset his turbulent tenure.
Johnson has spent months fighting for his sur-vival after a series of controversies including the “Partygate” saga led many Tories to question whether he should remain as leader.—Agencies
