London - Boris Johnson's Conservatives, the governing party, suffered a crushing blow after losing two parliamentary seats on Friday. The loss prompted the resignation of the party's chairman and intensified doubts about the future of Britain's prime minister.

Johnson remained defiant, pledging to listen to voters' concerns and do more to tackle a cost-of-living crisis after what he described as "tough" results in the two so-called by-elections. He is in Rwanda for a meeting of Commonwealth nations.

The losses - one in the Conservatives' traditional southern heartlands and in a northern England seat won from Labour in the last election - suggest the electoral coalition Johnson brought together at the 2019 national election may be fracturing.

The transformation of Johnson from vote winner to electoral liability may prompt lawmakers to move against him again after months of scandal over COVID-19 lockdown parties at a time when millions are struggling with rising food and fuel prices.

Johnson has resisted intense pressure to resign after he was fined for breaking lockdown rules at his Downing Street office. read more

This month he survived a vote of confidence by Conservative lawmakers, though 41% of his parliamentary colleagues voted to oust him, and he is under investigation by a committee over whether he intentionally misled parliament.
-Reuters