Rishi Sunak ‘afraid of dropping seat’ as Tories brace for General Election wipeout

Rishi Sunak has reportedly expressed concern he could lose his seat as the Tories brace for wipeout at the polls.

The Prime Minister is said to have told friends he’s afraid of being defeated in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency, where he was elected with a majority of 27,210 in 2019. The extraordinary scenario would make him the first serving PM to lose his seat.

A source told The Guardian: “He is genuinely fearful of a defeat in Richmond: the risk that it could be tight has hit him hard. He’s rattled – he can’t quite believe it’s coming so close.” Another source added: “He’s taken so much friendly fire from his own side I’m amazed he’s had the strength to keep going.”

A Conservative source denied that the PM was worried, saying: “The PM is confident he will hold his seat.” Another source added: “Keir Starmer might take his constituency so much for granted he’s happy to insult his Bangladeshi constituents but the PM respects his enough to campaign to seek their vote”

Mr Sunak’s Richmond constituency in North Yorkshire has returned Tory MPs since 1910, and was previously represented by Tory leader William Hague. The true-blue seat has been subject to boundary changes, becoming Richmond and Northallerton in this General Election.