The Conservative Party was crushed in two by-election defeats last night, and a new map detailing attitudes towards immigration in the UK could send Rishi Sunak spiralling even further.
Both Wellingborough and Kingswood fell to Labour last night, with the Prime Minister stating the circumstances surrounding the by-elections were “particularly challenging” for the Tories.
The issue of immigration was on the minds of many voters in Wellingborough. Speaking to GB News ahead of the vote, several claimed Sunak’s failure on both legal and illegal immigration was key to the shifting political sands in Wellingborough.
Many long-term Conservative voters admitted they were toying with the idea of voting for Labour or Reform UK, who they believed would better tackle the issue.
A new migration map will send shivers down Rishi Sunak's spine after the crushing double by-election defeat last nightPA/OnwardThe new map, created by right-wing think tank Onward, has shown that the issue of illegal and legal immigration is prevalent among voters across the UK.
It shows that nine in 10 constituencies want tougher controls on migration, with those who want to increase the number of migrants entering the UK mostly concentrated in cities.
The research has also concluded that Conservative voters are growing more worried about immigration as time passes.
Between 2011 and 2020, Conservatives were consistently 20-30 percentage points more likely to cite immigration as a top issue than Labour voters.
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GB News spoke to Wellingborough voters ahead of the by-election, who identified immigration as a key issue
Since 2020, that increase has only widened, growing to 50 points.
Those who have left the Conservative party in recent years due to voting apathy have been found to be especially sceptical of immigration, with 86 per cent of leavers seeing “immigration as undermining the social life of communities”.
The majority also believe that countries with similar cultures to Britain should be prioritised, with 66 per cent supporting this notion, compared to 55 per cent of current Tories who are in agreement.
A forward to the research read: “Immigration is a top public priority. In the immediate aftermath of the vote to leave the EU, its salience rapidly fell but has steadily risen throughout 2022 and 2023. As the overall levels of net migration have risen in the post-Brexit era, so too have public concerns. With net migration reaching 745,000 in 2022, a watershed moment has been reached.”
Rishi Sunak suffered a bloodbath at the double by-elections last night
PAThe results from the research indicate that the migrant crisis is a key topic area for voters. It is telling then that Reform UK, an anti-immigration saw its best by-election results.
Ben Habib targeted disgruntled voters on the right and managed to secure more than 10 per cent of the vote in both seats, for the first time in any by-election.
The party's leader, Richard Tice, said the result in Kingswood shows it is now a “significant force in British politics”.
He told GB News the Tories should step aside and let him take on “and beat” Keir Starmer.