Rishi Sunak will face a nailbiting few days after the polls open for the local elections on Thursday. The Prime Minister, who faces a general election later this year, has several key challenges many feel could either unite the Tories behind him or throw his premiership in turmoil.
If results are bad Sunak can expect a leadership challenge and may inspire at least 52 Tory MPs to submit the no confidence letters needed for a challenge.
Tory MPs have earmarked too major area for him – Tees Valley and West Midlands – but there are more that could send tremors through Westminster.
Here’s our guide to the key battlegrounds.
Mayor Ben Houchen has been a Conservative poster boy for levelling up since his shock win in 2017. By the time he was reelected in 2021, he had secured an astonished 72.8% of the vote in the authority that represents 670,000 people. But polling now puts him neck and neck with Labour’s Chris McEwan on 47% each.
Andy Street is fighting for a third term as mayor of the region and is a well known figure locally. The former managing director of John Lewis has narrowed the gap in the polls but is still six points behind to Labour’s Richard Parker.
Sadiq Khan is also running for a third term in the capital and despite some unpopular policies, including the expansion of the ultra low emission zone charge for cars, remains favourite to win. But the parties will be looking closely at the margin, with Tory Susan Hall tipped to do better than many expect.
A new mayoralty is up for grabs in North East England with voters in Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland picking their favourite for the first time. But an internal Labour party spat means a former party member Jamie Driscoll, the current mayor of the North of Tyne, is standing as an independent, which is expected to dent support for Sir Keir’s Starmer’s chosen candidate Kim McGuinness.
In 2021, Boris Johnson did a victory lap with Jill Mortimer after she took the seat in a blow to Labour during a by-election in its traditional Labour heartlands. A third of the town’s seats are up for grabs and the opposition will be keen to show they are winning back support in the red wall.
