It was bad enough to win fewer council seats than the Lib Dems by losing almost 500 out of the 985 the Tories were defending. And the defeat of West Midlands mayor Andy Street by Labour’s Richard Parker was a stunning blow.
But amid the chaos and recriminations, nothing seems to have symbolised the prime minister’s own deficiencies more than the revelation that he was sitting in London during the elections on Thursday but did not get round to voting for his party’s candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall.
There are no good excuses for why Sunak might have snubbed the hapless Hall, and the debacle has reopened questions about his future.
A question of election law and political choices
Normally, party leaders and major candidates use going to vote as a photo opportunity on election day. In London, Sadiq Khan went to the polls with his wife and dog, while Labour leader Keir Starmer also invited the cameras. But there was no picture of Sunak casting his vote.
When The Independent asked Downing Street how the prime minister had voted, the reply came: “He postal voted in Yorkshire.” In other words, he cast his vote for the defeated Keane Duncan, the Tory mayoral candidate for York and North Yorkshire, which covers his Richmond constituency.
This led to a flurry of claims from MPs and Tory activists that Sunak could have voted in both places. In general elections for parliament, voters with a house in more than one constituency have to choose one place to vote. However, in local elections, people can vote in more than one area on the same day if they are registered there.
This story is from the May 06, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 06, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CONTINENTAL SHIFT
Abass Baraou and Macaulay McGowan's European title bout will turn a Bolton ring into a time machine, says Steve Bunce
Tactical puzzle at the centre of Spain's trophy ambitions
We're a little over a decade since Spain's back-to-back triumphs at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 and the national team have been through an entire lifecycle since then, it feels.
Ten Hag to remain United manager after season review
Manchester United are in talks with Erik ten Hag about a new contract after deciding that he will remain their manager for next season. United concluded their end-of-season review by determining that Ten Hag is the right man to take them forward under the new regime led by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
From Hampden to Munich, one fan's trek for extra time
Craig Ferguson hopes his 1,000-mile Euro 2024 trek raises awareness of men’s mental health and suicide prevention
Next PM needs to tackle unemployment rise, fast...
Another blow for Rishi Sunak – this time, in the form of new labour market data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Malawi vice-president dies with nine others in air crash
Malawi's vice-president, Saulos Chilima, was among 10 people killed when a small military plane crashed in a mountainous region in the north of the country, the president said yesterday.
'We will not take breaks, we will not stop to drink water'
Amazon workers in India claim they were forced to pledge to keep going till their targets were met during a 50C heatwave
Leader of centre-right party courts alliance with Le Pen
France's left-wing politicians focused on thwarting far right
Blinken says Gaza ceasefire rests on Hamas leadership
Secretary of state hails 'hopeful sign' as UN backs resolution
Hunter Biden found guilty in historic federal gun trial
President's son convicted on all charges and faces maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars and fines of up to $750,000