Angela Rayner has said that Rishi Sunak has “failed” his first election test as Labor defeated Chester in a by-election with an increased share of the vote.
Labour’s deputy leader said voters had given the Conservatives a big message that they wanted change.
Samantha Dixon was elected with a majority of 10,974, and a 61% vote share – Labour’s best ever result in the seat.
Pollster John Curtis said a repeat of the Tories’ 12% swing nationally would give Labor a narrow majority.
Andy Carter, Conservative MP for the neighboring Warrington South constituency, said the result for his party was “not as bad as it could have been”.
He said the Conservatives had been given a “bloody nose” in the competition. He added that the message from voters was that they “want the government to step up and deliver and that’s where the focus should be.”
Conservative peer and election analyst Lord Hayward said: “Rishi has to convince the public at large that he can get out of this crisis, whatever the crisis – and there are a lot of them.”
Ms Rayner said voters in Chester had shown they “wanted a Labor government”.
“They are angry with the Conservatives who have destroyed the economy, which has taken them over, with constant infighting and not being able to get Britain moving again.”
In her victory speech, Ms Dixon said voters had sent a message to Mr Sunak that the Conservatives no longer had a mandate to govern.
Labor was expected to retain the seat, which it won by a majority of 6,164 in 2019.
In this election, the Conservatives came second with 38 percent of the vote. Labor and the Liberal Democrats took 50% and 7% respectively.
This time, Miss Dixon won with a 61% share, easily beating Conservative Liz Wardlaw on a 41% turnout.
Labor leader Keir Starmer, who is in Scotland, tweeted his congratulations to Ms Dixon, who he said would be “an excellent MP for the City of Chester.”
