Partygate blamed for drubbing as Sunak urged to cut tax

Senior Conservatives point finger at Johnson for losses at polls, while Malthouse wants Chancellor to act

‘We had some great local councillors who were victims of the problems that happened at national level’

SENIOR Conservatives have blamed Boris Johnson for their local election performance, saying anger over partygate cost crucial votes.

Two former ministers joined ousted council leaders in condemnation of the Prime Minister following the seismic collapse of support in Blue Wall areas, amid suggestions successful local campaigns were thwarted by a national focus on lockdown rule-breaking.

It came as Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, urged Rishi Sunak to swiftly cut taxes, breaking ranks to express his “sincere hope” the Chancellor will “shortly” announce plans to ease the burden on families and firms struggling with rising bills.

The backlash followed heavy Conservative losses in councils across the country, with almost 500 seats taken by opposition parties.

Theresa Villiers, who represents Barnet where Labour seized the Conservative-run authority, said partygate was a factor. “We had some really great local councillors in Barnet who were victims of the problems that happened at national level. That’s devastating,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

“I’m heartbroken that those really great representatives lost their seats as a result. We have to listen.

“These were in many parts of the country very negative results for us and it’s important we have serious change from the Government.”

Caroline Dinenage, a former culture minister whose seat is in Gosport, Hants, where the Tories lost out to the Liberal Democrats, also admitted anger with Mr Johnson played a role in the result.

“There are some Tory voters who have said they wouldn’t be voting for us while Boris Johnson remains Prime Minister, so it’s definitely had an impact. It’s our candidates that I feel sorry for because they have nothing to do with what goes on in Westminster,” she told Portsmouth’s The News.

The deposed council leader there, Graham Burgess, said those who lost their seats had been “hard done by”.

“What’s happened in Westminster – not just partygate but also the rising living costs – has played a major part in the outcome.” On a dire night across much of the south, the Conservatives also lost control of Woking council, which they had held for 14 years, to the Liberal Democrats.

Outgoing leader Ayesha Azad said a lot of traditional supporters in the area had “stayed at home” as they “weren’t happy with the shenanigans in Westminster”.

“There’s just no two ways about it, partygate certainly was an issue mostly with Conservative voters in our strongest areas,” she told The Telegraph.

Ms Azad said she was willing to “give the PM time to turn the ship around” but urged him to take the party “back to its low tax credentials’’ ahead of further local elections next year.

Her plea came as Mr Sunak was publicly urged by Mr Malthouse to lower taxes in response to the election results and spiralling cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Malthouse hinted that an announcement on further measures to help tackle the crisis was imminent and insisted Mr Sunak “urgently wants to cut tax”.

“I know that he and the Prime Minister are in constant communication about what steps we need to take both to boost growth, but help people in their day to day lives,” he told Talk TV.

“We all came into Conservative politics to reduce the burden of the state on individuals [and] leave as much money in people’s pockets as they can so they can make choices for themselves about their own lives.”

The remarks will put further pressure on Mr Sunak to call an emergency budget and unveil new tax cuts, with senior Tories suggesting the Prime Minister should replace him if he refuses to do so.

Asked whether Mr Sunak should be moved aside, former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the party needs a chancellor that will deliver immediate tax cuts.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh, whose seat in the South West is a target for the resurgent Lib Dems, added that “the current set-up isn’t working and it needs to be changed”.

“I do not think the current team is capable of delivering a successful economic policy for the country,” added Mr Fysh.