Boris ready to defy leadership doubters over election jitters
BORIS Johnson is braced for a fresh outbreak of Tory infighting today as the full extent of voter discontent in the local elections becomes clear.
The Prime Minister’s allies expect rebels to renew pressure for a leadership contest with jitters spreading about the next general election.
But Mr Johnson was understood to be determined to defy the criticism and launch an immediate fightback to renew his administration.
One source close to Mr Johnson admitted the town hall polls were going to be “tricky” for the Tories.
Party insiders predict the party was heading for a hammering north of the border with speculation of third place behind Labour.
A senior Scottish Tory said: “We are expecting heavy losses. It’s highly likely we will finish third. It’s all down to Boris and Partygate.
“We’ve been struggling to get our vote out. A lot of our traditional supporters are telling us they are staying at home. They say they can’t stomach Boris. It just seems they want to send a message to Boris.”
Postal voting in several areas in England was reported to be 10 per cent lower than at previous council
‘A lot of our traditional Tory supporters are staying home’
polls, an early indication of a low turnout amid voter anger at the Downing Street party scandals and the cost-of-living squeeze.
The Prime Minister is expected to fight back with a legislative programme announced in next week’s Queen’s Speech focused on widening Brexit freedom and boosting the economy by slashing red tape.
He is also said to be preparing a Cabinet reshuffle in the summer.
Ahead of yesterday’s local elections, polls suggested the Tories were heading for a drubbing.
Several suggested the Conservatives could lose control of flagship Wandsworth council in London – solidly blue for more than 40 years.
Tory MPs were also concerned about a Lib Dem revival across the home counties, South-east and South-west.
Labour was tipped to increase its grip on councils in its London strongholds in today’s results. Yet some Labour insiders were sceptical about whether the national results would show their party was making adequate progress under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, particularly in “Red Wall” territory lost in the last two general elections.
As voters went to the polls, Mr Johnson’s ex-chief adviser Dominic Cummings urged voters against backing Boris Johnson’s party.
In Twitter rants, Mr Cummings claimed a vote for the Conservatives was a vote for more “taxes, regulation, bureaucracy, violent and sex crime, neglect of security and the armed forces,A&E disasters and NHS neglect, chance of nuclear war.”
He wrote: “Tories and their wider support in media, think tanks etc are so intellectually, politically and organisationally rancid that a change of leader may well not change these dynamics, but there is no chance of even discussing serious change unless [Mr Johnson] is replaced.”
Mr Cummings said it was “irrational” to prop up the “clown show” and urged voters across the Left/Right and Remain/Brexit divides to “unite in removing” the Prime Minister. Another Tory turncoat also urged voters to back the opposition yesterday.
Former business minister Nick Boles, a hardline Remainer who quit the Conservatives in 2019, revealed that he voted Labour yesterday.
The ex-MP declared on Twitter: “First time I’ve voted Labour since an equally glorious May morning in 1997.” Mr Johnson’s close ally Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities, was remaining loyal yesterday. He tweeted: “In this land of hope and glory, don’t forget to vote Tory.”
One report yesterday claimed Mr Johnson is pondering a snap general election this year.
The Business Insider website reported a backbench source saying the PM was considering the option after being told by political strategist Lynton Crosby that the British economy “won’t get any better” before the current term runs out in 2024.The
unidentified MP expected a general election to be called as early as this summer or autumn.
Downing Street officials declined to comment but one source said the scenario was “unlikely”.
An election expert yesterday cautioned the local election results should not be seen as a forecast of how the next parliamentary election would go.
Dr Ekaterina Kolpinskaya, from the University of Exeter, said: “The decrease in the Government’s approval we observe in the national polls will probably trickle into losses in the local elections. But it does not necessarily mean a looming heavy defeat in a general election should it be called soon.”
She said local issues could have a strong influence in many areas while some voters could split their votes among different parties.
More than 6,000 council seats were up for grabs yesterday. In England over 4,000 seats on 146 authorities were contested including Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs. All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 inWales also held elections.
In Northern Ireland surveys suggested Sinn Fein was likely to top the poll in the Assembly election.
Voting was busy, with some polling stations reporting a turnout as high as 20 per cent by lunchtime.
Chief electoral officer Virginia McVey said: “It seems high.”