London: UK’s ruling Conservative Party is expected to suffer heavy losses in local elections this week which will increase pressure on PM Rishi Sunak.
The election is a general election test ahead of a general election in which the opposition Labor Party, which has been in power since 2010, is likely to lose.
Sunak has said he wants to hold a national vote in the second half of the year, but defeat in Thursday’s vote could only strengthen his hand.
“This election is an important test for the prime minister to confirm that the plan is working and to what extent voters still approve of it,” political scientist Richard Carr told AFP.
The incumbent government is losing local contests and the Conservatives are predicting they will lose half of their council seats.
Temple’s immediate political future is said to depend on the re-election of two senior Tory regional mayors in the West Midlands and the Tees Valley in central and north-east England.
But speculation is rife in the UK parliament that some rogue Conservative MPs could be looking to replace Temple before the national election.
“If Andy Street and Ben Houchen both lose, Sunak’s idea will certainly be implemented,” said Carr, a professor of politics at Britain’s Ruskin University.
The divisive tussle has served five prime ministers since the 2016 Brexit vote and three between July 2022 and October 2022.
A group of retiring Conservative MPs has planned a “policy blitz” this week for Temple’s successor in the event of a major loss, according to British media.
Some observers say it is crazy for the Conservatives to remove another leader, given that the Senate has provided a certain stability since replacing Liz Truss in October 2022.
Others say the party’s reputation has been shot, so why not try a last desperate roll of the dice to stop a landslide predicted Labor?
As many as 52 MPs had to send a letter of no confidence to Sunak to push for an internal party vote to replace him – a tall order.
“I’m still waiting for the polls to take the Conservatives into the general election,” Richard Hayton, professor of politics at the University of Leeds, told AFP.
“But some members of parliament may want to act against him, which will damage his public relations.”
The 43-year-old candidate was appointed to the Tory domestic role after Truss’s 49-day premiership, when tax defaults sent markets into turmoil and the pound fell.
Despite the resumption of the majority leadership led by Temple, the Tories continued to double Labor led by Keir Starmer in most opinion polls.
An Ipsos poll earlier this month put Sunak’s satisfaction rating at minus 59 percent.
More than 2,500 councilors were in the UK on Thursday, as was Sadiq Khan, the Labor mayor of London, who is seeking a third term as president.
Most of the latter councilors are standing for re-election in 2021, when former Tory prime minister Boris Johnson famously promoted Covid-19 vaccinations.
