Rishi Sunak has conceded that the Tories may not win the next general election after a dire set of local elections results saw the party shed hundreds of council seats.
Voters delivered their verdict in stunning fashion in the polls across England, where the Conservatives lost 470 councillors and the prized West Midlands mayoralty. Labour also stormed to victory in the first York and North Yorkshire mayoral race, which covers Mr Sunak’s own constituency, and seized Blackpool South from the Tories in a Commons by-election.
Despite the dire results, the PM seems to have avoided a direct threat to his leadership as Tory plotters appeared to throw in the towel. The local elections had been seen as a make-or-break moment for Mr Sunak. But the re-election of Tory Mayor Ben Houchen in Tees Valley appears to have shored up the PM’s position for now.
There had been speculation that Mr Sunak could forced into a summer general election if a plot materialised. But Downing Street has now shelved plans for a summer general election and is likely to call a poll in October or November, according to the Telegraph. A Sunak ally told the paper: “I definitely think the weight of views is to go later as there’s still plenty we can keep doing to show delivery.”
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However he faces a fresh battle over the direction of the party, with sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman demanding a shift to the right to save the party from wipeout. But she conceded that it was too late to replace Mr Sunak as leader, telling the BBC there was no “superman or superwoman” waiting in the wings to save the party.
Mr Sunak admitted that the Tories were unlikely to win an outright majority as he seized on analysis by Sky News that suggested Labour would be the largest party in a hung Parliament. This kind of projection is controversial as voters often behave differently at local elections compared to national polls.
The PM told the Times: “These results suggest we are heading for a hung Parliament with Labour as the largest party. Keir Starmer propped up in Downing Street by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens would be a disaster for Britain. The country doesn’t need more political horse trading, but action. We are the only party that has a plan to deliver on the priorities of the people.”
Critics pointed out that there have been three Prime Ministers and five Chancellors since the Conservatives won the 2019 election.