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Voters will be going to the polls in three by-elections this month
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so here's everything you need to know about where they're happening and when
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Two of the by-elections will take place in Tory-held Wellingborough and Kingswood on Thursday this week
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And later this month, on February 29th, ballots will open in the Labour seat of Rockdale
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So you might be wondering what sparked these three by-elections. The by-election in Wellingborough is taking place after former Conservative MP Peter Bone was suspended from Parliament
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after being found to have bullied a staff member. More than 10% of his voters opted to recall him
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meaning a by-election was to be held. In Kingswood, former Tory politician Chris Skidmore
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resigned in protest against the government's plan to boost oil and gas drilling in the North Sea
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And in Rockdale, MP Tony Lloyd vacated his seat after he died from leukemia in January this year
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He had been an MP for around 36 years. So who do we have from the two major parties
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standing in these elections. Helen Harrison is standing for the Tories in
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Wellingborough and Labor candidate is charity worker Jen Kitchin The conservative candidate in Kingswood is Sam Bromley former Mayor of Lewisham Damien Egan is the Labor candidate In Rockdale Labour County Council group leader Azar Ali is standing for the party
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and landscaper Paul Ellison, who won Rockdale Man of the Year in 2020, is standing for the Conservatives
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So how will all three elections affect politics in the UK? The three by-elections are seen as yet another test for Sunak government
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government, so the results are going to be watched very closely. If Labor are able to hold on to Rockdale and win both Kingswood and Wellingborough from the
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Tories, it will be seen as a major boost to Kyrs Dahmer ahead of the general election
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While for Rishi Sunak, a triple loss could prompt further rumblings for him to step down
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as leader of the Tory party, following calls for him to resign
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While a more split result with the Tories holding on to one of their two seats would be
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a boost for the party, but would still be unlikely to spell
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longer-term success. Here at City AM we would like to know which party do you think is more
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likely to come out on top in these elections? Let us know in the comments
