Polls have closed in the by-elections for Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire, with the Conservatives aiming to keep seats.
Both seats were seen as very safe Tory constituencies, but after a major dip in popularity for the party, either could be up for grabs.
Tamworth, in Staffordshire, is likely to be a two-way fight between the Conservatives and Labour, while Mid Bedfordshire will also see serious competition from the Liberal Democrats.
The elections were triggered by the resignations of Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher.
Winning either seat would be a coup for the opposition parties.
Mid Bedfordshire has been a Conservative seat since 1931 and Ms Dorries had a majority if 24,664 votes. The Conservatives had a 19,600 majority in Tamworth.
In Tamworth, Labour’s Sarah Edwards will hope to defeat Tory Andrew Cooper. In Mid Bedfordshire, Labour’s Alistair Strathern and the Lib Dems’ Emma Holland-Lindsay are running against the Conservative Festus Akinbusoye.
The Conservatives and Labour were aiming to manage expectations after the poll closed.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “These were always going to be challenging by-elections and the rule of thumb is that governments don’t win them.
“We have seen little to no enthusiasm for Sir Keir Starmer who voters can see stands for nothing and always puts short term political gain first.
“It is clear that we have to maintain our focus on people’s immediate priorities whilst taking long-term decisions which will lead to the change this country needs.”
Labour’s national co-ordinator Pat McFadden said: “Our campaigns have focused ruthlessly on the issues that matter to local people: tackling crime, bringing down NHS waiting lists and addressing the cost of living.
“We’ve spoken to thousands of local people who are fed up with this chaotic, distracted Tory Party that does nothing but lurch from crisis to crisis.
“But we have known all along that winning these seats would be a long shot, with huge majorities to overturn. The fact that we are even on the pitch is a sign of how far the Labour Party has changed.
“We are making real progress in all corners of our country and showing that with Labour, we can get Britain’s future back.”
Ms Dorries, a former Cabinet minister under Boris Johnson, stepped down as an MP after being denied a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.
Mr Pincher resigned after he was found to have drunkenly groped two men in an “egregious case of sexual misconduct” at the Carlton Club in London last year.
That scandal helped trigger Mr Johnson’s departure from Downing Street, as a result of his handling of the situation.
Although riding high in the national opinion polls, Labour said ahead of the vote that it would be a “moon shot” to win either seat.
By Kit Heren@yung_chuvak
