The Labour Party meanwhile is predicted to make about 300 gains.
If you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Tories, who continue to trail the Labour Party in the polls amid talk of a leadership challenge to replace Rishi Sunak, then think again.
According to election analysts, the Conservative Party could be set to lose 500 council seats in the upcoming local elections on May 2nd, a crucial date which will determine Sunak’s future as rebel Tory MPs seek to build momentum to oust him before the general election.
Election gurus Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher warn that Tory losses are inevitable. They write in the Local Government Chronicle: “As if their current standing in the opinion polls is not bad enough news, the Conservatives face difficult local elections in England on 2 May. A good proportion of the seats falling vacant this year were last fought in 2021 when the Johnson government was still enjoying something of a post-Brexit, mid-covid honeymoon.”
They predict that should the Tories repeat their poor performance of 2023, where the national equivalent vote calculation put them below 30%, they stand to lose up to 500 seats – half their councillors facing election. The Labour Party meanwhile is predicted to make about 300 gains.
That would be a disastrous result for Sunak who will undoubtedly face further criticism from Tory MPs and even more letters of no-confidence.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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