Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-election results - live: Tories lose both seats as Oliver Dowden resigns

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party’s by-election victory in Wakefield shows the Conservatives are “out of touch, out of ideas and if they had any decency they would get out of the way for the sake of the country”.

The Prime Minister said he would take responsibility for the losses in the by-elections, but stressed the cost-of-living crisis was the most important thing for voters.

Mr Johnson said he needs to listen to the concerns of voters and admitted the government has “more to do”.

Speaking at a conference centre in Kigali, he said: “It’s absolutely true we’ve had some tough by-election results, they’ve been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things, but we’ve got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment.

“I think as a government I’ve got to listen to what people are saying – in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which I think for most people is the number one issue.

“We’re now facing pressures on the cost of living, we’re seeing spikes in fuel prices, energy costs, food costs – that’s hitting people.

“We’ve got to recognise there is more we’ve got to do and we certainly will, we will keep going addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch.”

Boris Johnson has vowed to “keep going” after his party suffered a double by-election defeat, which then triggered the resignation of a Cabinet member.

The Prime Minister acknowledged on Friday that losing the former Tory stronghold of Tiverton and Honiton to the Lib Dems, as well as surrendering Wakefield to Labour, was “tough”, but he insisted he was pushing on, and vowed to “listen” to voters.

Conservative Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden quit following the results, saying he and Tory supporters are “distressed and disappointed by recent events”, and telling Mr Johnson “someone must take responsibility”.

Mr Johnson, speaking to broadcasters 4,000 miles away in Rwanda at a Commonwealth summit, thanked Mr Dowden for his “excellent” service in the role.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Labour’s win in the Wakefield by-election shows “the country has lost confidence in the Tories.

He said the result shows Labour “is back on the side of working people” and it is a clear judgment that the Tories have “run out of energy and ideas”.

Mr Johnson, who is at a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Rwanda, suggested it would be “crazy” for him to quit if the party lost the two seats and said mid-term by-elections were “never necessarily easy for any government”.

Oliver Dowden has resigned as chairman of the Conservative Party after it suffered a double by-election defeat.

Mr Dowden described the losses as “the latest in a run of very poor results” for the Tories and said in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that “someone must take responsibility”.

He wrote: “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.

“We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”

The MP ended his letter by saying: “I want to emphasise that this is a deeply personal decision that I have taken alone.

“I will, as always, remain loyal to the Conservative Party.”

Simon Lightwood was elected in Wakefield with a majority of 4,925 on a swing of 12.7% from the Tories to Labour.

The previous Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan quit after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, a crime for which he was jailed for 18 months.

Wakefield was one of the so-called red wall seats won by the Tories in the 2019 general election after being Labour since the 1930s.

Speaking of his win Mr Lightwood said: “The people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people.

“They have said, unreservedly: Boris Johnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated.”

Newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord has called on Boris Johnson to quit as Prime Minister following his win in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election.

Mr Foord overturned a Tory 24,000 majority to win the seat by more than 6,000 votes.

The poll was triggered by the resignation of Conservative Neil Parish after he was caught viewing pornography on his phone in the House of Commons.

Mr Foord, a married father-of-three, said in a speech after his election: “Tonight, the people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken for Britain.

“They’ve sent a loud and clear message: It’s time for Boris Johnson to go and go now.

“Ours is a great country and there’s no greater part of it than Devon. But everyday Boris Johnson clings to office, he brings further shame, chaos and neglect.”