Boris Johnson's party suffers defeat in UK special election

LONDON (AP) British Prime Minister Boris JohnsonThe ruling Conservative Party lost a special election on Friday morning, leaving itself with a one-vote majority in Parliament as Brexit looms.

In the Conservatives' first electoral test since Johnson became Prime Minister nine days ago, the party was beaten for the seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales by Jane Dodds, of the Liberal Democrat opposition. Dodds won 43% of the vote, while Conservative Chris Davies, who was fighting to retain his seat after being convicted and fined for expenses fraud, got 39%.

Conservative candidate Chris Davies, left, looks on as Jane Dodds of the Liberal Democrats, right, delivers the winner's speech after winning the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election seat at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, Wales, Friday August 2, 2019. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

The result makes it harder for Johnson's government to pass laws and win votes in Parliament, with Brexit expected in less than three months.

Johnson said Britain would leave the European Union on October 31, with or without a divorce deal. But Parliament has voted in the past against the country leaving the EU without an agreement on terms, and it is likely to try again in the autumn to thwart Johnson's plans.

In his victory speech, Dodds urged the Prime Minister to “stop playing with the future of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit now”.

She said “a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for our farming and agricultural communities”. The constituency she now represents is a hilly, largely rural area about 175 miles west of London.

In the 2016 UK referendum, the constituency voted 52% to 48% in favor of leaving the EU, exactly in line with the national result. While many farmers support Brexit out of frustration with the EU's strict Common Agricultural Policy, Brecon sheep farmers fear that without a divorce deal with the EU, high tariffs on lamb exports will devastate their business.

The result reflects the seismic effect that the UK's decision three years ago to leave the 28-member EU had on the country's politics, with voters increasingly divided between the pro-Brexit and pro-EU camps. The pro-EU Liberal Democrats have seen their support increase due to their call for the UK to remain in the bloc. In May's European Parliament elections, the party won 20% of the vote in the UK, beating both the Conservatives and the main opposition Labor Party, whose leadership is divided over Brexit.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, are losing support to the Brexit Party led by long-time Eurosceptic figurehead Nigel Farage, who took 10% of the vote in Brecon.

For the Brecon by-election, the Liberal Democrats struck a pact with two other pro-EU parties, who did not stand to give Dodds a better chance. The country's main opposition party, the Labor Party, whose leadership is divided over Brexit, saw voters desert it and won only 5% of the vote.

The Conservatives lack an overall majority in the House of Commons and rely on an alliance with 10 lawmakers from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. Losing the Brecon seat leaves the governing alliance with 320 of the 639 voting lawmakers the bare minimum needed to win votes.

This means Johnson's government could struggle to pass any legislation and would be vulnerable to an opposition vote of no confidence that could trigger a snap general election.

Johnson became prime minister last week after winning the Conservative Party leadership race by promising to take Britain out of the EU on October 31, with or without a divorce deal.

His hardline stance is both risky and divisive. Johnson says he wants a Brexit deal, but demands the EU make major changes to May's divorce deal, which was rejected three times by the British Parliament. The EU is adamant that it will not renegotiate.

Most economists say leaving the EU without a deal would seriously disrupt trade and push the UK into recession. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said a no-deal Brexit would cause an “instant shock” to the economy: the pound would fall, prices would rise and GDP would slow.

“The economics of a no deal is that the rules of the game for exports to Europe or imports from Europe fundamentally change,” Carney told the BBC on Friday.

“There are very large industries in this country where what is very profitable becomes unprofitable, becomes unprofitable, and very difficult decisions will have to be made.”