Tories May Not Win 2024 Election, Sunak Admits

Speaking
to

The
Times,
Sunak
suggested
the
UK
was
on
course
for
a
hung
parliament
but
claimed
voters
would
not
want
to
see
Keir
Starmer
“propped
up
in
Downing
Street”
by
the
Scottish
National
Party
or
smaller
parties.

Sunak
pointed
to

Sky
News
analysis
of
the
local
election
results,
which
suggested
Labour
would
be
the
largest
party
in
a
hung
parliament,
though
voters
in
national
polls
tend
to
to
behave
differently,
with
fewer
of
them
opting
for
smaller
parties.

“These
results
suggest
we
are
heading
for
a
hung
parliament
with
Labour
as
the
largest
party,”
Sunak
told

The
Times.

“Keir
Starmer
propped
up
in
Downing
Street
by
the
SNP,
Liberal
Democrats
and
the
Greens
would
be
a
disaster
for
Britain,”
he
said.

“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.”

Former
home
secretary
Suella
Braverman
urged
the
prime
minister
to
change
course
rightwards
to
win
back
voters.

But
she
said
a
change
of
leadership
was
not
a
“feasible
prospect”,
adding:
“there
is
no
superman
or
superwoman
out
there
who
can
do
it.”

Among
the
measures
Braverman
has
urged
the
prime
minister
to
adopt
to
win
back
voters
are
further
tax
cuts
and
a
cap
on
legal
migration.

Tory
grandee
John
Hayes
signalled
the
prime
minister
should
reshuffle
his
Cabinet,
with
his
close
ally
Braverman
as
a
voice
at
the
table
for
what
he
called
the
“authentic
Tory
part
of
the
Conservative
Party”.

But
Conservative
moderates
warned
against
Sunak
lurching
rightwards,
with
outgoing
West
Midlands
mayor
Andy
Street
claiming
after
his
loss
that
“winning
from
that
centre
ground
is
what
happens”.

Damian
Green,
chair
of
the
One
Nation
Group
of
Tory
moderates,
made
a
similar
plea
on
the
BBC’s
Westminster
Hour.

“I
would
just
observe
the
seats
that
we
have
lost
in
the
past
few
days
–
we
lost
to
parties
to
the
left
of
us.
So
I
think
suggesting
that
what
we
need
to
do
is
to
move
to
the
right
is
irrational
in
the
face
of
the
electorate,”
he
said.

Labour
sought
to
dispel
suggestions
it
would
consider
a
coalition
with
the
SNP
after
the
next
election.

Pat
McFadden,
the
party’s
national
campaign
co-ordinator,
said:
“our
aim
is
to
win
a
majority,
to
govern,
to
meet
the
mood
for
change,
and
we’re
not
planning
any
alliances
or
pacts
with
anyone.”

The
West
Midlands
result
was
a
shock
defeat
for
the
Conservatives,
with
Ben
Houchen
the
sole
remaining
Tory
mayor,
in
Tees
Valley.

Labour
dominated
other
mayoral
contests
across
England,
including
in
London
and
Greater
Manchester,
and
took
a
Tory
scalp
by
winning
the
Blackpool
South
by-election.

With
the
results
of
all
107
councils
in
England
that
held
elections
on
May
2
declared,
Labour
has
won
1,158
seats,
an
increase
of
more
than
232.

The
Liberal
Democrats
beat
the
Tories
into
second
place,
winning
552
seats,
up
nearly
100,
a
result
hailed
by
party
leader
Ed
Davey
as
“stunning”.

The
Tories
are
just
behind
on
515
seats,
down
nearly
400.

By
David
Lynch,
PA
Political
Staff

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