The polls began in local elections, with both major parties frantically driving expectations as Tory mayor warns Boris Johnson that he will have to go further in helping people struggling with the cost of living.
The results will be seen as a major test for Johnson and Keira Starmer, coming to the apparent middle of the UK government’s term. A total of 146 English councils, all in Scotland and Wales, are up for grabs, as are seven town halls.
In Northern Ireland, voters will also elect 90 members of the delegated assembly in a race from which Sinn Fein could emerge as the largest party.
After the prime minister and chancellor were fined for violating Covid laws, the pressure on conservatives is to make some gains in councils across the country.
The last time these seats were contested in England was 2018, and in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales it was 2017 – one of the lowest periods of the Conservative Party’s popularity, given the deep divisions over dealing with Brexit by Theresa May.
Tory MPs cited mixed responses to the threshold, with those in the party’s traditional southern centers worried that voters would stay at home.
Some are even planning a bad result as an excuse to start a new leadership challenge against Johnson.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper accused Johnson of not visiting many of the cities in the South of England that became known as the Blue Wall. She said: “Your non-appearance in this election is an insult to millions of people.”
Meanwhile, Tory expert and election expert Robert Hayward said that the return on mail in the mail has decreased “quite significantly” compared to 2018. He added: “I expect that turnout will be difficult to reach 30% in 2022 .
“I don’t think it will benefit any party, but more that the electorate says ‘plague on all your houses.’
Hayward told the Guardian that he was struck by the “scope of management expectations of the two main parties”, given that Tory insiders fear the party could lose up to half of the seats it defends and some figures in Labor has downplayed the chances of many gains.
“It’s a bigger range than I’ve ever experienced before,” Hayward said.
Andy Street, the conservative mayor of the West Midlands, said people would vote mostly on “local issues” – such as collecting bins, schools and transport.
He acknowledged that the cost of living crisis was a “real problem” and said Sunak had taken “some good first steps”, but said the government would have to go further to mitigate the effects of spiraling bills. energy before the price ceiling is raised again in the autumn.
Street told the Guardian: “I expect traffic before the autumn and now it looks sad, as if it will be necessary, because we seem to be on the verge of a new rise in prices. So I’m looking forward to further moves. “
Although some candidates call themselves “local conservatives” and urge voters not to punish them for “mistakes made in Westminster”, Street said there was “incredible goodwill” among the people towards Johnson and that he remained an elected asset.
In his closing speech, Starmer tried to draw attention to questions about drinking beer with colleagues in April 2021 and stressed that voters will be motivated primarily by the cost of living.
Asked if Durham police had contacted him in recent days, the Labor leader said: “I have not had contact with Durham police and I think people are fed up with the mud that is happening.
“This relentless focus on mud instead of the Conservative problem means they have no answer to the real question that so many people want answered, namely, ‘What are you going to do to help me with my bills?’ ?
“We have a clear answer to what is an unforeseen tax for oil and gas companies and we use it to help people pay their bills, up to £ 600 of their bills.”
Johnson also tried to allay concerns about the Partygate scandal and insisted he would still be the Conservative leader in the next general election.
The prime minister said he was “absolutely confident that we have the right agenda for the country”, adding: “I have a long mandate to fulfill”.
However, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, said Johnson’s leadership was a factor in encouraging some people to join his party, as the prime minister is not a “worthy man”.
He said: “This is a group of lifelong Tories who tell us they will never vote for Tories again while Boris Johnson is prime minister, and many of them are coming to us.
Polling stations are open across the country from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some results will be announced overnight, but others may come much later the next day.
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