Boris Johnson is on course to take a wrecking ball to the Red Wall again today by securing a hat-trick in Labour’s former heartlands.
The Conservatives are on the brink of a historic victory in the Hartlepool by-election, as well as the two key mayoral races in the West Midlands and Tees Valley.
Today’s bumper set of local elections, which have been dubbed ‘Super Thursday’, mark a major test for both Mr Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Ballots will be cast in every part of Great Britain, with elections for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, London Assembly, and Hartlepool by-election. More than 5,000 council seats in England will also be contested, along with 13 mayoralties and 39 police and crime commissioner positions.
There was growing alarm in Labour last night that Mr Johnson will further demolish what is left of the so-called Red Wall.
YouGov research found that the Conservatives had a ten-point lead over Labour, with the Tories on 43 per cent nationally, The Times reports.
The poll, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, found 40 per cent of people had a favourable view of Boris Johnson, compared to just 31 per cent for Sir Keir Starmer.
Boris Johnson is on course to take a wrecking ball to the Red Wall again today by securing a hat-trick in Labour’s former heartlands
Almost nine in ten voters thought the government handled the coronavirus vaccination programme well, with just over half of those credited the success to Boris Johnson.
One fifth of people polled said they believed Sir Keir Starmer would have handled it better, while one third said it would have been ‘much the same’ under Labour and 29 per cent said it would have been worse.
Reports earlier this week revealed the Conservatives had a 17-point lead over Labour, according to a Survation poll for ITV’s Good Morning Britain between April 23 and 29.
A Tory win in Hartlepool would be only the second time in 38 years that the Government has snatched a seat from the Opposition in a by-election.
Lord Mandelson yesterday said he will ‘go into a meltdown’ if the constituency, where he was MP from 1992 to 2004, turns blue for the first time in its 47-year history.
Sir Keir last night pledged to ‘carry the can’ if Labour fares badly at the ballot box, but insisted his focus is on ‘winning the next General Election’.
‘When things go right, the leader takes the plaudits; when they don’t go right, the leader carries the can and takes responsibility,’ he said.
‘That’s what I will do with these elections, as I will do in everything that the Labour Party does.’
Mr Johnson sought to downplay expectations as he insisted it will be a ‘very tough set of elections’ for the Tories.
The Prime Minister joined West Midlands mayor Andy Street for a cycle ride on a canal path in Stourbridge. Mr Street, the former boss of John Lewis, is expected to be re-elected, along with Ben Houchen, who is Tory mayor in Tees Valley.
In an eve-of-poll message last night, Mr Johnson argued the pair had done more in a few years than Labour did in the decades it had a stranglehold on the regions.
He said: ‘It’s Conservative mayors who are bringing new investment and local jobs to their areas. A new freeport and green jobs are on their way to Teesside and new trams, Metro lines and station upgrades to the West Midlands.
‘More has been delivered by Conservatives in four years than complacent Labour politicians have delivered in decades.’
Earlier, Mr Johnson tried to calm talk of the Tories winning the Hartlepool seat, saying it would be a ‘very tough fight’.
As Sir Keir’s hard-Left critics sharpened their knives, his allies insisted he be given more time to turn around Labour’s fortunes.
As Sir Keir’s hard-Left critics sharpened their knives, his allies insisted he be given more time to turn around Labour’s fortunes
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said parts of the UK were a lot ‘warmer’ towards Labour than they were in the General Election.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, he said: ‘We hope the public will see how we have changed since 2019 – we have a new leader, we have a new direction, but to be frank it’s not been the easiest of years to make those wider messages. That’s just how it is, there’s no use complaining about that.’
Mr Reynolds added: ‘It’s a lot warmer for Labour than it was in 2019. People might not be totally convinced yet but they want to have that conversation.’
Sturgeon: I’ll only hold fresh vote if PM gives green light
Nicola Sturgeon has denied she will hold a ‘wildcat’ referendum if the SNP wins a majority in today’s Holyrood elections.
The First Minister dismissed a claim by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross that she plans to organise an illegal independence ballot if Boris Johnson refuses to give formal consent for one.
During a BBC Scotland leaders’ debate Miss Sturgeon insisted: ‘No we won’t.’
Nicola Sturgeon has denied she will hold a ‘wildcat’ referendum if the SNP wins a majority in today’s Holyrood elections
She also accused Mr Ross of spreading ‘smears and untruths’ about her position.
Polls suggest the SNP’s chances of majority are on a knife edge.
Mr Johnson, who has not campaigned north of the border in the run-up to the election, was asked if he would grant a referendum if Scots elect a majority of independence-supporting MSPs.
He said: ‘I think that most people in Scotland [and] around the UK feel this is not the time … to have a reckless, and I think irresponsible, second referendum.’