“Almost every” council the Conservatives won in 2021 could be lost in this year’s local elections, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has conceded.
Speaking at the launch of her party’s campaign, Ms Badenoch said the votes four years ago followed the COVID vaccine rollout – helping her party to 14 council gains and holding another 49.
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On 1 May, across England, more than 1,600 council seats will be up for re-election, alongside six mayors.
The Tories face being squeezed by Reform on their right, as well as a blend of Liberal Democrats and independents.
Ms Badenoch warned party members: “It will be the first time since the general election, the greatest defeat in all parties’ history, that we fight these seats.”
Map the 2024 election results on to the upcoming council ones, and the Tory leader admitted “we lose almost every single one”.
‘People have lost trust in politics’
Labour are also likely to perform poorly, as local election results tend to reflect public opinion towards the national governing party.
Measures like inheritance tax on farms, benefit cuts, planning reform, reducing winter fuel payments and others could weigh heavily on Sir Keir Starmer’s chances.
It was put to Ms Badenoch that lots of these protest votes look set to go to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Asked about the differences between the Tories and Reform by Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates, Ms Badenoch said: “Loads of other parties just tell people what they think they want to hear.
“We think through and make sure that we are providing a credible plan that can be delivered.
“A lot of people have lost trust in politics because politicians make promises and do deliver.”
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‘This is not a protest vote’
But the Tory leader acknowledged the party faces “a challenge on the right”, which she said was partly down to its record in government in recent years.
“The protest votes are going to Reform,” she said.
“But at the end of the day, this is not a protest vote – these are local elections.”
The Tory leader instead urged people to vote for who will sort out bin collections, fix potholes and run local services well – which she said would be the Conservatives.
She unveiled the slogan for her party’s campaign as “lower taxes, better services”.
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Mr Farage described that as “comical”, saying the Tories’ track record was of “higher taxes and crumbling services”.
The Reform leader is eyeing big gains in May, and said: “After decades of mismanagement, Conservative councils across the country are buckling under the pressure.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Ms Badenoch’s speech was a “desperate attempt to shore up the crumbling Conservative vote as people in the home counties turn to the Liberal Democrats”.
She said her party is focusing on the cost of living, river sewage, and the NHS and social care.
