Rishi Sunak during his visit to Harlow in Essex (Image: Getty)
Swathes of Conservative MPs have already announced they will not be seeking re-election because they fear their party is on course for a drubbing when Rishi Sunak does go the country, a pollster has suggested.
With more than 50 having confirmed their decisions so far, and with the Tories suffering two more defeats in Thursday’s by-elections, Savanta director Chris Hopkins believes it is a sign that many are already looking for alternative employment.
Labour emerged victorious in both Wellingborough and Kingswood, achieving with Reform UK, led by Richard Tice, putting in a strong showing in both seats, turning up the heat on the Prime Minister by a couple more notches.
Mr Hopkins told Express.co.uk: "It feels like many Conservative MPs are choosing to stand down ahead of the next election because they sense which way the wind is blowing.
“Savanta's polling is indicating a large swing to Labour, which would lead to potentially hundreds of Conservative seat losses.”
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He added: ”Rather than suffer a humiliating defeat, where their once safe seat has had its large majority overturned, they'd rather start job hunting now in anticipation of being out of work by the time the election is over.”
In a live election blog, Mr Hopkins further declared: “These results are a shambles for the Conservative Party.
“In American sports parlance (thanks, Taylor Swift), Rishi Sunak is now 1/6 in Conservative by-election defences, his sole victory coming in Boris Johnson’s symbolic former seat, while the five defeats (four to Labour and one to the Lib Dems) rank as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 9th worst by-election Conservative swings to Labour since the war.”
Savanta’s most research, published on February 15, puts labour on 41 percent with the Tories on 29 percent. While that indicated a seven percent drop compared with the previous survey, such a result would still likely result in an overall majority for Sir Keir Starmer.
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Sir Keir Starmer with successful Wellingborough candidate Gen Kitchen (Image: Getty)
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Commenting on his party’s double-triumph, the Labour leader said: "I think there is a message now from these by-elections. I think the country is crying out for change. Everybody knows that.
"Things aren't working. Their NHS isn't working. They've got a cost of living crisis. I think they've concluded that the Tories have failed after 14 years.
"They can see now the Labour Party has changed. It's a different party to the party in 2019.
"And they can see that we've got the answers to their problems, and I was very pleased last night to see that we were clearly getting Tory switchers, in other words, people who hadn't voted for the Labour Party before coming out last night and voting for the Labour Party."
Reform UK leader Richard Tice at the Wellingborough count (Image: Getty)
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He added: "But I would say this particularly to my team, there is more work to do. There is always more work to do."
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Asked yesterday during a visit to Harlow, Essex whether he was more concerned about Reform UK or Labour, Mr Sunak said: "A vote for anyone who isn't the Conservative candidate, whether that's Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.
"That's the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the Conservatives and Labour.
"Now I believe our plan is working. At the start of this year we're heading in the right direction, taxes are coming down, inflation is falling, and if we stick with that plan we can deliver everyone a brighter future."
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