Will the Coronation overshadow likely Tory losses in the locals?
There has been a fair bit of speculation that the likely Tory drubbing that the party will get in the locals will be drowned out in media coverage terms by Saturday’s Coronation. I am sure that’s right but I don’t think that this will help Sunak.
Over the long holiday weekend there might not be much in the media but let there be no doubt – the main focus of Tory MPs will be on what the ward results in their constituencies suggest might happen in their seats at the general election.
This will be the first set of local elections since Tory poll ratings went through the floor and maybe up to a thousand Tory councillors could find themselves having to hand in their security passes and no longer be in receipt of the quite substantial “salaries” that many now receive.
Undoubtedly the party leadership is likely to get a lot of the blame and this could be an uncomfortable long weekend for the PM and many MPs.
On a campaigning level ex-councillors are less likely to be enthusiastic about the general election.