Rishi Sunak has been urged to call a general election now in the wake of two by-election defeats to Labour.
More than 260,000 people have signed a petition demanding an immediate general election to "allow the British public to have their say on how we are governed".
And the calls have been bolstered by two embarrassing defeats for the Conservative party in by-elections for Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire.
Read more: Labour overturns two huge Tory majorities in double by-election victory
In Tamworth, Nadine Dorries' former seat, Labour's Sarah Edwards overturned a 19,634 Tory majority when she won on Thursday night (October 19).
While on the same night Labour's Alistair Strathern won Chris Pincher's former seat in Mid Bedfordshire, which had been a Tory stronghold since 1931, toppling a 24,664 Conservative majority.
Ms Edwards used her victory speech to take aim at Rishi Sunak, who has been the UK Prime Minister for a year.
She said: “My message to the Prime Minister is get in your government car, drive to Buckingham Palace, do the decent thing and call a general election."
While the Conservative party has been eager to portray the results as blips, many have suggested it could spell a general election defeat for the party.
Polling expert John Curtice said the defeats were "extremely bad news" for the Conservatives.
He said: "Unless the Conservatives can fairly dramatically and fairly radically turn things around, then they are in truth staring defeat in the face in 12 months’ time.
“No government has hitherto lost to the principal opposition party in a by-election a seat as safe as Tamworth.”
The Tamworth result, he said, echoes Labour’s victory in a by-election in its predecessor constituency South East Staffordshire in 1996.
The Conservatives had been defending a large majority but lost the seat to Labour - which saw a general election landslide the following year.
Rishi Sunak is currently touring the Middle East in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks in Israel. But at home, people have been urging him to call a general election.
Responding to the UK Parliament petition for a general election now, the Government said: "Britain faces long-term challenges that need us to put the national interest first.
"Rishi Sunak and the Government are doing just that and it would be wrong to call an early general election now."
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