Sunak 'Worse Than Truss' As Tories Facing ‘Armageddon'

Rebel MPs sharpen knives as election mauling predicted

- DAVID MADDOX KATE DEVLIN

Rishi Sunak is facing a make-or-break 48 hours as some Tory MPs plot to engineer his downfall even as the local election results in England are still being counted.

The chances of the prime minister facing a vote of no confidence from his MPs were heightened yesterday when the latest YouGov poll revealed the party is even less popular under his leadership than during the calamitous premiership of Liz Truss.

According to the survey, taken on 30 April and 1 May, the Conservatives are down to just 18 per cent – 26 points behind Labour on 44 per cent and a mere three points ahead of Reform UK on 15 per cent. If this were repeated in a general election, the Tories would be reduced to 32 seats with Sir Keir Starmer holding a majority of 388, according to prediction site Electoral Calculus.

There was further bad news from a Techne UK poll of 1,632 voters, partly taken during polling day, which put Labour on 44 per cent and the Tories on 22 per cent. The survey data revealed that only 43 per cent of those who backed the Tories in the 2019 election would do so at the next general election.

The results heightened the nerves of Conservative MPs as two days of counting began.

One Tory MP told The Independent that a move against Sunak is “likely” if either West Midlands mayor Andy Street or Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen lose their jobs. If both lose, it is “almost certain” the 52 letters needed to trigger a leadership vote will be sent to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, the former minister said.