Labour’s shock poor performance today has shielded the Conservatives from much of the criticism their woeful local election performance deserves. The Tories were bracing for losses around the 700-800 mark, the higher numbers briefed out last week were meant to be for expectation management purposes. They have just plunged through the 1,000-seat loss mark…
One of the bigger Tory casualties was Arun District Council leader Gillian Brown – it just so happens that Brown is Philip Hammond’s mother-in-law. That’ll make for some awkward conversations at the next family occasion…
UPDATE: The final casualty count for the Tories is 1,332 Councillors, their worst performance since 1995. Two years before Major was annihilated by Blair…
“Why don’t you resign!? We don’t want you. We don’t want you.”
Almost as notable as the heckle is how few activists cheered when the heckler was escorted out…
It’s not just the EU elections where the Conservatives are heading for a pasting, the Tories are bracing for a bloodbath in the local elections this Thursday as well. Analyst and Tory peer Robert Hayward came out with a new prediction yesterday that the Tories could lose over 800 seats of the 8,000 or so being contested this week. Hayward tips the Lib Dems to pick up 500 and Labour to pick up 300, the Brexit Party aren’t standing…
The Tories are firmly in expectation management mode, Boris uses his Monday Telegraph column to plead with voters to not “take out your Brexit frustrations on our hard-working Tory councillors”. The reality is that local Councillors are likely to take the hit for Theresa May’s failings…
New Tory Deputy Chair Helen Whately turns the spin-o-meter up to 11: “I hear from time to time people saying: ‘Well I’m really frustrated with politicians as a whole, not just Conservatives… because of where we are with Brexit”. Optimistic…
Tory MP Chris Davies will become the third MP to face a recall petition after Bercow initiated the process today. Davies escaped jail after admitting to submitting two false claims, getting off with a £1,500 fine and 50 hours’ community service at his sentencing yesterday. Now the voters of Brecon and Radnorshire will decide whether to strip him of his Parliamentary seat as well…
Tory MP Lucy Allan is publicly recommending candidates for the rival Brexit Party. Andrea Jenkyns has also dropped hints that she too is supportive of the Brexit Party. Not much party discipline being shown…
Sources within the 1922 Committee suggest that there is a fair chance the executive will endorse a rule change tonight allowing a fresh challenge if a third of the parliamentary party indicates they will support it – effectively raising the threshold in terms of numbers of MPs required and removing the one challenge-a-year rule. Alternatively the 12 month challenge delay period could be reduced to six months – meaning the next leadership challenge would be on from June 3rd. There are no rules in politics…
There is also a likely National Convention meeting could take place at the end of May. If they voted to no confidence the PM whilst only symbolic it would be devastating.
