Explainer-in-brief: The story behind the Tiverton and Honiton by-election
Last Friday, the prime minister paid a visit to the rural Devon constituency of Tiverton and Honiton. Since the seat was created in 1997, it has always been in Conservatives’ hands.
Local residents will head to the polls on June 23 to choose their new MP, since Neil Parish had to resign after admitting to watching porn in the Commons. Parish, a farmer himself, was a well-liked MP. It’s not clear whether the new Conservative candidate Helen Hurford stands the same chances to win.
The Lib-Dems are betting everything here, campaigning fiercely for their candidate Richard Foord, a former Army Major. Where is Labour, one might ask? Well, it’s focusing on the other by-election taking place in Wakefield, where the party believes it has a shot at winning.
Johnson might be looking at the two by-elections as the next flash point for his premiership. A double loss smells like trouble for him.