Conservative advisers warned on Friday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces an uphill battle to win back voters’ trust, following a series of local election results that have been deadly for the government.
In Sunak’s first election test as leader, the results were revealed on Friday afternoon the extent of his party’s lossesthe Tories losing around 649 seats and control of over 38 councils, including Windsor and Maidenhead, Swindon and Stoke-on-Trent.
Several Tory advisers said the poll was seen by many voters as a way to punish Sunak’s government for its handling of key issues such as the cost of living crisis, immigration and the NHS.
Alan Jarrett, who lost his job as leader of Medway Council in Kent after Labor won a historic victory in the authority, said the results reflected the general ‘unpopularity’ of the National Conservative government and recent changes in electoral boundaries.
“The two main national issues affecting people here are the imposition of housing targets, which as far as Medway is concerned are unrealistic and undeliverable and have made things look like things are being imposed without local consent” , did he declare. “Secondly, access to GP appointments… the public wants good public services delivered in a timely manner.
He added: “The government can turn things around – whether they have time before the general election is another question.”
Party strategists had warned the Tories would lose up to 1,000 of the 8,000 seats up for grabs on 230 councils in England, with final results expected on Friday evening.
Tory councilor Adam Stokes, who lost his seat and job as deputy leader of South Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire, agreed that many people ‘voted based on what is happening nationally’ rather than on dissatisfaction with the local management of services. “It was clearly an anti-Tory vote,” he added.
Friday’s result saw the Tory District Council’s leadership change under no overall scrutiny. “There was a lot of concern on the doorstep about national issues such as immigration, the cost of living, namely the cost of mortgages,” Stokes added.
Stokes argued that it would be “difficult” for Sunak to win a fifth Conservative term, adding that at this point in the election cycle there was “a lot of deep-seated discontent”. But “likewise, if he achieves his five goals and the economy grows, there is always a chance,” he added.
Others were more optimistic, saying that while the Conservatives had suffered losses, opposition parties had yet to turn high polls into tangible successes at the polls.
“Overall mainly local issues have dominated the campaign,” said Martyn Cox, who served as Bolton council leader in Greater Manchester. Labor replaced the Conservatives as the largest party in Bolton, but failed to win enough seats to control the council.
“There may have been conservatives who stayed at home or who voted for independents, but there has been little collapse in support for the conservatives,” Cox said.
“Neither Sunak nor Starmer came to the doorstep or made a huge impact on the public. People may be annoyed by the Tories but don’t believe Labor can actually help them,” he said. -he adds.
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