“Long Boris” is to blame for the Conservatives’ expected woes at this week’s by-elections, a senior backbencher has claimed. 

The Tories are currently on track to lose all three of the contests taking place on Thursday in Selby and Ainsty, Somerton and Frome and Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Asked by BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour whether he expected his party to lose in Uxbridge, Steve Brine, the chairman of the health and social care select committee, replied: “Yeah - it’s another bit of what I call ‘long Boris’, isn’t it?”

Mr Brine proceeded to row back on his prediction, citing discontent with Sadiq Khan’s ultra-low emission zone policy and saying “I have no idea” how constituents will vote.

It came as Steve Tuckwell, the Conservative candidate in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, admitted in an interview overnight that it will be “very difficult” to retain the seat.

“It’s no illusion that this is going to be very difficult, it’s going to be hard and it’s going to be challenging, but I’m incredibly motivated to earn every vote,” Mr Tuckwell said.

 You can follow the latest below.