British premier Rishi Sunak braced for defeats in key elections

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces voters in very different parliamentary seats

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces voters in very different parliamentary seats on Thursday and risks losing all three contests in what would be the worst one-day mid-term result for any British governing party in more than half a century.

The votes are one of few remaining opportunities to gauge public support before a national election expected next year, and a chance to assess if the opposition Labour Party can convert their run of double-digit poll leads into victories.

Sunak, a former finance minister and investment banker, has cultivated an image as a technocrat who can solve complex policy challenges. But he has failed to fully shake off his party’s chaotic past.

The elections are to fill seats vacated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned as an MP last month after he was found to have misled parliament over parties held in Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic, and an ally who resigned in solidarity.

A third vote is being held after a member of parliament quit over allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use.

The results of the so-called by-elections are expected to come in the early hours of Friday.

If Sunak loses all three votes it would suggest his party was in danger of losing power at the next election as members of the public express their frustrations over stubbornly high inflation, rising taxes and economic stagnation.

The last time a governing party lost three by-elections in a single day was in 1968.