This week, the prime minister was campaigning in the northwest. Photo: Andrew Wong/CCHQ
Conservative Party Chairman suggested that Boris Johnson joining the campaign could improve the party's prospects in local elections as he acknowledged the party could face defeat.
Greg Hands bluntly acknowledged the uphill struggle his party is now facing, with which Greg Hands agreed. predictions that the Conservatives could lose more than 1,000 seats.
Mr Hands mentioned «independent predictions from the most credible academic sources» that Tory losses on May 4 are in the four figures.
Asked if he would welcome Mr. Johnson's return, Mr. Hands told The Camille Tomini Show. : «We'll have to wait and see, but Boris is always welcome to campaign for us.»
Therefore, it is not surprising that the leaders of the conservative associations fear that their council candidates will «accept the insertion», despite the first signs enthusiasm for Rishi Sunak.
Insiders believe a year of Tory turmoil and division will overshadow Sunak's growing popularity at the polls.
The Telegraph spoke to 10 senior local conservative figures as part of the campaign. After six months, the PM is «quietly coping» with restoring the party's reputation with his five pledges and progress on Brexit and small boats.
However, there is still no dissatisfaction over the past year. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one association leader in the cabinet minister's constituency said the fall of Mr. Johnson and Liz Truss was «disastrous» for public confidence.
Several of my friends refuse to be members of the Conservative Party. ,» They said. «I think what I could call the traditional Conservative vote is pretty bad with this government here.
«So I think the locals are going to fight very hard. I feel that the image of the party, of which I have been a member for countless years, has been undermined. In May of this year, I think the Tories will take over the pasting. We'll see next May or October.»
Ed Costello, head of the activist group Grassroots Conservatives, was also pessimistic.
“We were expecting some pretty bad times. The question, really, is how much Sunak's growing popularity will change this to be just unfortunate, not terrible.”
Peter Martin, president of the Conservative Association in Jeremy Hunt's constituency in South West Surrey, insisted on that «adults are back at the helm», but acknowledged that the ballot box has an uphill battle ahead.
«Kick in the gut» teeth'
When Mr. Johnson won a landslide majority in the last general election, his appeal to the archetypal «working man» — an older male voter in a pro-leaving city — was attributed to historic Tory success in the north.
But John Cooke, chairman of the Workton Conservatives, has now turned his back on the former prime minister, describing his recent scandal-ridden months in office as «a kick in the teeth.»
«As strong as it sounds.» that people will say that it had nothing to do with us, it was London stuff, they glue us one size fits all, and this applies to everyone,” he said.
Others were more optimistic about the long-term picture. Morris Bright, leader of the Hertsmere City Council in the constituency of Oliver Dowden, has been campaigning locally for 40 years.
He acknowledged that last year was «very painful» but added: «Temperatures are definitely chilled. Rishi Sunak is doing well in Hertsmere.
“Now we see, with press conferences, visits and so on, that Rishi is starting to make his way as a person. That is what happened to Margaret Thatcher.”
The increasingly widespread view that Mr. Sunak is leading his party in the right direction is supported by opinion polls, which show his approval rating is head-to-head with Sir Keir Starmer's ratings, despite the fact that his party lags behind the Labor Party by about 15 points.
Many representatives of the association hope that this gap will narrow even more. Some even predicted that by the next election, due in the fall of 2024, the Tories could win their fifth historic victory in a row.
But economic problems have not yet subsided, and many scars remain over the year. deep divisions, it is not surprising that local Tory leaders nevertheless resigned themselves to a difficult day on May 4th.
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