By-elections: Spared a rout but still a bad set of results for Tories

Rishi Sunak has been spared becoming the first prime minister since 1968 to lose three by-elections in a day.

But this is still a bad set of results for his party. They have just lost two sizeable majorities, with a historic shift to Labour in Selby and Ainsty and another massive swing to the Lib Dems in Somerton and Frome.

Both results paint a bleak picture for the Conservatives nationally.

They show that Rishi Sunak has been unable to stop the party shedding seats at by-elections.

And they illustrate again that he is struggling to change the electoral weather.

The blow is softened a bit by the surprise result in former PM Boris Johnson's old seat Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Labour thought they would win here and they didn't.

• Tories suffer two heavy losses but hold Uxbridge

• Live: Labour wins Selby as Lib Dems take Somerton

The Conservatives put opposition to the expansion of Ulez (the low emission zone that requires Londoners to pay a daily charge to use less eco-friendly cars) at the heart of their campaign.

That worked - and raises questions for Labour about the future of the scheme in outer London.

The Uxbridge result means the picture this morning is a bit more complicated.

But it looks like this:

The Lib Dems are cock-a-hoop and think they are back in business in the West Country.

Labour aren't as happy as they could have been.

The Conservatives have been spared a rout, but still have a lot to be concerned about.