By-election news - live: PM loses backing of more Tory MPs after disastrous defeats

Neil Parish, the Tory MP who resigned after watching porn in the Commons, has said the prime minister is “very unpopular” and is living in a “parallel universe”.

Mr Parish’s former constituency of Tiverton & Honiton was won by the Liberal Democrats in yesterday’s by-election.

“Full credit to the Lib Dems for winning, but it’s a combination of our vote dropping dramatically, people switching, people staying at home and a very unpopular prime minister, which people have tactically voted against,” Mr Parish told Sky News after the result.

“I feel responsible in as much as I had to leave. I made a very foolish and bad mistake but I did the honourable thing and left.”

“He (the PM) has many good qualities. The trouble is he can’t just keep living in a parallel universe, there has to be reality,” the former MP added.

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has become the latest Tory to suggest Boris Johnson’s premiership is growing ever “more challenging”.

Andrew RT Davies said: “Each and every day the prime minister gets up, like any leader, they have to look in the mirror and ask themselves ‘can they continue to deliver for their country and for the people who have put them into office?’

“I presume that’s getting far more challenging when the prime minister looked in the mirror these days with the messages that are coming from the ballot box such as by-elections we had last night.”

Labour and the Liberal Democrats seemingly had a lot to celebrate this morning after convincing by-election victories over the Conservatives in Wakeford and Tiverton & Honiton.

However, our political commentator John Rentoul believes the margin of victory indicates that Labour will struggle to win a majority at the next election.

Read more here:

Environment minister Zac Goldsmith appears to have criticised Oliver Dowden for resigning as chair of the Conservative party.

The Tory peer, who is a close Johnson ally, tweeted a video of Mr Dowden on Friday along with the words:

“Many, if not most politicians will enthusiastically embrace an idea if they think it helps them personally, but they will just as enthusiastically ditch it if they think that helps their fortunes. This is true of all parties.”

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has refused to say how many seats his party would like to win at the next general election.

This comes after their victory in the Tiverton by-election yesterday.

“It is difficult to say as we are maybe two years from a general election,” Sir Ed said.

“The fact we have won three parliamentary by-elections in just over 12 months suggests we are going to make advances and are going to get rid of a lot of Conservative MPs.

“It is too early to put a number on it but we certainly intend to get rid of a lot of Conservative MPs.”

Former Conservative party leader Michael Howard has called on Boris Johnson to resign following the disastrous double defeat at by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton.

The Tory peer – who has remained quiet on the question of the leadership – also suggested that cabinet ministers should consider moving against the PM if he clings on at No 10.

Our politics correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

The former Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton Neil Parish, whose resignation after watching porn in the House of Commons triggered the by-election in the Devon seat, has said Boris Johnson must “face reality” after losing the vote and MPs must decide the Prime Minister’s fate.

He said residents of the former Tory stronghold had spoken “loudly” by helping the Liberal Democrats overturn a 24,000 Conservative majority, a result Mr Johnson must look at “very seriously”.

Mr Parish told Breakfast on BBC Radio Devon on Friday: “What is becoming increasingly necessary is for the party, the MPs to consider what is the long-term position of the Prime Minister.

“The public are concerned.

“The people in Tiverton and Honiton have spoken and they’ve spoken loudly”.

Boris Johnson is not planning on openly embracing his faltering flagship policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda on a one-way ticket during his visit to the East African nation.

The prime minister is opting not to visit the centres where migrants who have been forcibly removed from the UK would be housed if the scheme gets off the ground.

Sam Blewett reports:

Speaking in Tiverton, Ed Davey said: "For years, Boris Johnson has told people things will get better. But under his leadership, things only get worse.

"So, let me tell the prime minister what the British people expect - they expect our country to be led. And he has shown no leadership, whatsoever."

Mr Davey accused the PM of taking the British people for granted as inflation soars and working people struggle to fill up their cars.

He added: "Boris Johnson has deceived the British people and taken them for granted for far too long."

Mr Davey said the Conservatives' excuses for by-election losses to the Liberal Democrats were "starting to wear thin".

"The spinners in Number 10 call this 'expectation management'," he said. "But I can tell Number 10 - the British people are sick of having their expectations managed."