Rishi Sunak I have called Tory MP Two in one for mini summit Desperate attempt to calm panic after last week Defeat in local elections.
As Furious conspirators accused their accomplices “Quit beating.” LaborAnd “accepting his fate”, as efforts to topple Mr Sunak stalled, the Prime Minister invited backbenchers to attend “local election presentations” later this month.
summits will be held By Mr Sunak, conservative Chairman Richard Holden and Conservative campaign director isaac levidow,
“Both sessions will be an opportunity for colleagues to give feedback, ask questions and receive updates on our campaign strategy,” it said in an email sent to Tory MPs. Independent, Said.
The Tories were shocked by the scale of the defeat, losing 472 council seats and a devastating result for the party in London, where Sadiq Khan was returned as mayor of the city for a third term.
The PM is said to be angry at the Conservatives losing to Labor in the York and North Yorkshire Metro mayor race, an area historically seen as true blue Tory territory.
Mr Sunak also voted for Conservative candidate Kean Duncan, who lost to Labour’s David Skeith, a local businessman.
Several senior conservatives pointed out Independent Following the results he said his colleagues were “spineless” for not trying to replace Mr Sunak, while some warned that another Tory leadership election would only further damage the party’s fortunes.
One said: “Some people are standing down and don’t care. Some people are motivated by their own selfishness and the protection of the sage. “Some people are confused and some have given up and don’t think it will make a difference and with a new leader it will be just as bad, if not worse.”
And another told this newspaper: “I think there is some concern that there is no clear candidate.
“The worry is that someone like Penny Mordaunt could get it and that’s unfair.
“A reshuffle could lead to further damage and some people are holding out bits of hope in the local election results in their areas.”
Another said: “Most of my colleagues are spineless cowards. And he has given up trying to stop the Labor government. This is disturbing. “Most of them will not return to Parliament.”
In an effort to hurt the Tories, Reform UK leader Richard Tice said the Prime Minister’s presentation to MPs appeared to be an attempt to “persuade Tory voters” not to support him and Nigel Farage’s right-wing challenger party. Do it.
The controversy began when Mr Sunak claimed that, while the Conservatives would lose the general election, Labor would fail to win an outright majority and Britain would be left with a hung parliament.
One Tory MP described the suggestion as “wishful thinking”, while Labor Party chair Anneliese Dodds said it was “extravagant”.
Mr Sunak pointed to Sky News analysis of local election results which suggested Labor would be the largest party in a hung parliament. Election expert Michael Thrasher said there would be a hung parliament if Labour’s seven-point local poll lead over the Conservatives was repeated in the general election.
However, people do not vote in the same way in general elections where independent and minor party candidates do not perform as well, and the analysis does not include any Labor gains due to the ongoing SNP chaos in Scotland.
“These results show we are heading towards a hung parliament, with Labor remaining the largest party,” Mr Sunak told The Times. “The endorsement of Keir Starmer in Downing Street by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Greens would be a disaster for Britain.”
This is an attempt to revive a message successfully used by David Cameron before the 2015 general election warning voters that they faced an SNP-Labour “coalition of chaos” if they did not support the Tories. Will have to.
It came as Downing Street postponed plans for a summer general election, with an autumn vote now widely expected.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has urged the Prime Minister to adopt more right-wing policies to win back voters ahead of the contest.
But he said a leadership change is not a “viable possibility”, adding: “There is no superman or superwoman out there who can do that.”
Among the measures Ms Braverman has urged Mr Sunak to adopt to win back voters are tax cuts and limits on legal immigration.