The general election later this year has put an intense focus on local contests in England and Wales.
Rishi Sunak is braced for a difficult set of election results which could increase pressure on his leadership of the Conservative Party and the country after polls closed on Thursday night.
Most of the council seats up for re-election in England were last contested in 2021, at the peak of Boris Johnson’s popularity as the Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out. Both main parties have sought to manage expectations ahead of polling day, with Mr Hunt acknowledging governments can get “punished” in local votes.He told Sky News’ Politics Hub: “We are expecting to see significant losses. That often happens in local elections.”But he suggested that Mr Sunak’s position was not in immediate jeopardy.
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the Conservative Party was emphasising the two contests “because they think they might manage to win the contest and therefore they’ll be able to cover whatever disasters happen elsewhere”.“Equally, conversely here in London, Sadiq Khan will not do as well as the Labour Party would do in a general election because Sadiq has a negative personal vote. But this city is now so strong Labour, he’s going to win anyway,” he said.
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