The Conservatives did not have a good outcome in Thursday’s by-elections. Despite trailing in the polls due to recent scandals, they managed to retain Boris Johnson’s former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. However, they lost two traditional safe seats to the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats respectively.
Many senior Labour MPs have attributed their defeat in the outer London seat to Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the entirety of Greater London. This expansion has resulted in increased costs for driving, further contributing to the cost-of-living crisis that many are already experiencing.