UK Politics

Polling stations have opened across the UK, with voters beginning to cast their ballots in thousands of councils seats in England, Scotland and Wales, and the assembly elections in Northern Ireland.More than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils are standing for elections in major English cities, including Manchester and Leeds, while all of London’s 32 boroughs, including key Labour targets – Wandsworth and Barnet – up for grabs.Last contested in 2017, all of Scotland’s 32 councils and all 22 in Wales are also holding elections, with polls due to close at 10pm.While many votes will be determined on local issues, the election will also be the first major electoral test for Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer since the Partygate scandal emerged and the cost-of-living crisis, as energy firms report considerable profits.Many of the seats being contested in England, however, were last fought over in May 2018, when Theresa May, who was still feeling the repercussions of her ill-fated general election gamble in 2017, was vying for seats with the former Labour leader Jeremy CorbynWriting for The Independent, the polling expert professor Sir John Curtice claimed: “At first glance, the omens are not good for Boris Johnson.“His party shows no sign of recovering the poll lead it enjoyed in this parliament until his probity and ethics became the subject of controversy. On average the Conservatives currently trail Labour by six points. That represents as much as a nine-point swing since the 2019 general election.”He suggested the election could “well produce Tory losses of a few hundred seats – but it would not necessarily look like a tsunami that threatened to sweep Johnson out of Downing Street”.Oliver Dowden, the Tory Party chairman, looked to emphasise to the electorate the local choice they are making amid reports that some candidates had attempted to distance themselves from Westminster during campaigning.In a statement to mark polls opening, Mr Dowden said: “The elections today are about one thing: who do you want running your council? More

Labour is expected to make gains in key election battlegrounds in England but likely at a slower pace across its former northern heartlands, new predictions suggest.The latest modelling from YouGov has arrived just hours before voting opens for the series of local authority, parish and mayoral elections. Ahead of the first big test of public opinion since the dawn of the Partygate scandal and cost of living crisis, pollsters have surveyed voters in 16 key battleground councils in England to gauge current voting intention.At it stands, Labour currently controls 67 councils to the Conservatives’ 46. In order that Sir Keir Starmer’s pitch for prime minister be taken seriously ahead of the general election, it is imperative that Labour makes serious gains and shows strong progress in these elections.The soaring cost of amenities and Whitehall’s lockdown-busting parties are expected to be the issues at the forefront of voters’ minds as they head to the polls today. But how might they impact the outcome?The 16 councils chosen by YouGov – a mixture of marginal administrations, no overall controls, and ‘all out’ electoral contests – were split and modelled in three separate groups.The projections, as presented by Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates, show Labour are on track to make potentially significant gains in London. At present, Labour is defending 2018’s strong set of local election results in London, winning 44 per cent of the vote and more than 1,100 councillors last time round. But YouGov’s latest modelling suggests that Labour will improve further still in the capital, with Labour swing predictions including Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet – areas described by the broadcaster’s Sophy Ridge as the “Conservative jewels”.They are also expected to keep hold of and increase their presence on Croydon Council.Below the Midlands, Labour may make some slower progress, but pollsters predict it is less likely to be winning key battleground councils.YouGov currently expects Milton Keynes to stay in No Overall Control (NOC), but said Labour seem to be defending marginal Hastings and could win Southampton from Tory control.Crawley and Worthing in Sussex, meanwhile, remain hotly contested.But the picture beyond the south looks less promising for Labour, with little sign of progress in its former so-called red wall in the north of England.Pollsters say the councils of Bolton, Wirral, and Kirklees look set to remain in no overall control due to strong independent presence and more sturdy Tory backing.Labour’s chances of holding onto its slim majorities in Bury and Calderdale are promising, YouGov adds, but it faces a perilous battle with the Lib Dems over Hull.Across the board, however, the Greens and independent/smaller party candidates are expected to make notable improvements. Polling stations across the UK open at 7am on Thursday 5 May. More

Millions of voters will head to the polls across the UK in a matter of hours, with local elections being held across England, Scotland and Wales.In England there are over 4,300 seats being contested – including all London boroughs – while all of Scotland’s 32 councils and 22 Welsh councils are up forgrabs.They will coincide with Northern Ireland’s assembly election, with voters deciding on 90 members, representing 18 constituencies, to send to Stormont.Here The Independent looks at the estimated timings for key declarations for the local elections.Thursday 10pmVoting closes across the UK.Midnight to 3am The first slew of results will begin trickling in from around 1am, with Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Exeter, Basildon, Bolton, and South Tyneside all set to declare before 2am.The result for Sunderland – a Labour-run council since 1974 – is expected is also expected to drop at 2am, with the Conservatives aiming to cause a shock and make enough gains to leave the council in no overall control.Other results before 3am include Halton, Bolton, Broxbourne, Brentwood, Hart, Rushmoor, Tameside, Tamworth, Wigan, Worcester, Amber Valley, Chorley, Croydon, Harlow, Hartlepool, Plymouth, Redditch, Rochford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sunderland, Thurrock, Wirral, Oldham, Cumberland, Fareham, Ipswich, Lincoln, North East Lancashire, Peterborough, Preston and Stevenage.3am to 5amMore results from London will begin filtering in with the safe Tory council of Westminster due to declare at 3am.At the same time results are also expected from Sheffield, which Labour lost to no overall control at the last election. The party will be hoping to gain seats from the Liberal Democrats to win back the council.Elsewhere, Eastleigh, Epping Forrest, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southend-on-Sea, Tandridge, Hammersmith & Fulham, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton, Colchester, Kingston-upon-Hull, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham, Coventry, Dudley, Ealing, Hillingdon, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Salford, Sutton, Bexley, and Hounslow are all expected before 5am.5am to 7amThe London borough of Wandsworth, a council in Tory hands for more than four decades, is one of Labour’s key targets and is expected to declare at 5.30am. The Labour group leader on the council told The Independent this week: “It will come down to a few votes here and there in key wards.”The result for Derby City Council is also expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday morning. In 2018 voters in the area elected more Tory councillors than Labour for the first time since 1990 and Sir Keir Starmer should be aiming to make inroads.Havering, Kensington & Chelsea, Merton, Southampton, Southwark, Richmond-upon Thames, Enfield, Stockport, Brent, and Barnsley are also expected to declare.9amA brief moment of respite from results, as counting begins for a further 71 councils in England and all councils in Scotland and Wales. Ballots will also begin to be counted in Northern Ireland for the 90 members of the Assembly.Midday to 2pmResults likely to resume, with the first results from Scotland too. Expected declarations include Gateshead, Moray, Cambridge, Cannock Chase, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Huntingdonshire, Orkney Islands, Perth & Kinross, Shetland Islands, Solihull, Walsall, Westmorland & Furness, Calderdale.2pm to 4pmResults come through rapidly by this point. The Conservative-Labour battleground, Newcastle-under-Lyme, is due to finish counting, alongside East Renfrewshire – a three-way battle between the Tories, Labour and the SNP.In Wales, Labour is looking to take control of Blaenau Gwent from a group of independents, while Flintshire is a test of Tory popularity in an area in which they did well at the 2019 general election. Between 2-3pm, Carmarthenshire, Castle Point, Cheltenham, Conwy, Crawley, Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Elmbridge, Inverclyde, Maidstone, Rossendale, Runnymede, Slough, West Oxfordshire, Worthing, Wrexham, Argyll & Bute, Burnley, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Fife, Havant, Reigate & Banstead, Scottish Borders, Three Rivers, and Woking, should declare.More results from 3pm are expected to include Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Blaenau Gwent, Bromley, Caerphilly, Camden, Denbighshire, East Ayrshire, Flintshire, Hyndburn, Knowsley, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, North Ayrshire, Reading, South Ayrshire, South Cambridgeshire, Stirling, Torfaen, Trafford, Welwyn Hatfield, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, Ceredigion, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Isle of Anglesey, North Lanarkshire, Rochdale, West Lancashire, and Highland.4pm to 6pmResults from Glasgow are expected, and as Colin Drury writes, the SNP is seeking to take complete control of the city council for the first time. Westminster watchers will also be observing the results of Wakefield after the resignation of the MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted last month of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.While Labour is expected to hold the council, the pollster Peter Kellner suggests if Labour “wins a clear lead in the wards that make up the parliamentary seat, it could signal a Labour gain” in the upcoming Wakefield by-election – currently expected in June. Khan won the traditionally Labour voting seat at the 2019 general election as part of Boris Johnson’s red wall gains.Also expected to declare are Adur, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Haringey, Hastings, Midlothian, Milton Keynes, Mole Valley, Norwich, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Rugby, Somerset, South Lanarkshire, St Albans, Leeds, Pendle, Tunbridge Wells, Basingstoke & Deane, Bridgend, Cardiff, Gosport, Gwynedd, Harrow, North Yorkshire, Powys, St Helens, Swansea, Swindon, Watford, Wokingham, Pembrokeshire, Renfrewshire, Bradford, Greenwich, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Winchester, and Kingston-upon-Thames.Friday eveningThe vast majority of the results should be in by this point, with Kirklees, North Hertfordshire, Hackney, Newham, Cherwell, Vale of Glamorgan, and Bury expected to declare after 6pm.SaturdayThe final result in the local elections should be in around midday on Saturday, with the London borough of Tower Hamlets declaring. The results are also expected in the Northern Ireland assembly elections, with a small chance of running into Monday.After the elections, the 90 newly elected members of the assembly will meet within eight days and the crucial process of the elections of a new speaker with cross-community support and the position of first minister will begin.The result could bring in a historic change, with a recent poll by the Belfast Telegraph putting Sinn Fein on course to be the largest party at Stormont and select its first minister for the very first time. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, however, said he was “not bothered” by the shock poll and claimed to be confident his party would still win the assembly election. It could be the beginning of a long-running process, with 24 weeks available to form an executive. More

Boris Johnson has suffered a grassroots Tory revolt on the eve of crucial local elections, while being warned that he faces fresh questions about his leadership as soon as the results are in.As millions were set to go to the polls, some party candidates took the extraordinary step of rebranding themselves “local Conservatives”, pleading with voters not to “punish” them for the Partygate scandal.The prime minister was also subjected to an attack by two of his former councillors, who released letters urging voters to back other parties, accusing the prime minister of “spreading lies” and “taking us for fools”.The leader of one grassroots Tory group told The Independent that anger about the No 10 parties, topped up by fears over rising living costs, pointed to the party’s supporters staying at home on Thursday.“People most affected by lockdown – those who missed weddings and funerals – still consider it a scandalous disgrace, and now they are feeling the impact of higher taxes and energy costs as well,” said John Strafford, head of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy.Mr Johnson was also warned that “conversations” about whether he should quit as prime minister will resume among Conservative MPs once the elections are out of the way.“This isn’t for today, this is a big decision – important questions for Friday and for the weeks after that,” Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister who has demanded a no-confidence vote, told the BBC.Elections guru Sir John Curtice, in an article for The Independent, said the Conservatives were on course to lose “hundreds” of seats in the first big test of public opinion since the parties scandal broke.However, he pointed out that the seats up for grabs were last contested in 2018, when a Theresa May-led party tied with Labour on 35 per cent apiece – which could limit Sir Keir Starmer’s gains. “This could well produce Tory losses of a few hundred seats, but it would not necessarily look like a tsunami that threatened to sweep Mr Johnson out of Downing St,” Sir John predicted.At Westminster, Conservative MPs are expected to await any further Partygate fines along with Sue Gray’s stalled inquiry report before deciding whether to move against the prime minister – unless the local election results are disastrous.On Thursday, the seats of more than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils will be up for grabs in major cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, and in all 32 London boroughs.All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales will be holding elections – as well as the Northern Ireland assembly, where the nationalist Sinn Fein party is poised to secure a historic victory.On the campaign trail, Mr Johnson suffered the embarrassment of his candidates calling themselves “local Conservatives” on election leaflets, in London, Birmingham, the southwest and the northeast.One read: “This Thursday, please don’t punish local Conservatives for the mistakes made in Westminster, we are local and proud of where we live and, like you, we want the best for Hartlepool.”Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and [his] trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes.“With no answers to the cost of living crisis, Tory candidates are trying to hide from their own government’s record.”Two former Conservative councillors turned on their party and urged voters to back opposing candidates, in letters released before the polls.In Elmbridge, Surrey, Alan Kopitko warned that the party was “not the Conservative party I joined”, writing: “In their relentless pursuit of power at any cost, they are spreading lies and misinformation.”And Barry Macleod-Cullinane, former deputy leader in Harrow, London, said: “We now know that Boris Johnson broke the law and has lied repeatedly to parliament and to us. He’s taking us for fools – and we can’t let him get away with it.”Mr Strafford said the views of his organisation’s members suggested that opposition to Mr Johnson had shrunk from two-thirds to “50-50” thanks to admiration of the prime minister’s stance on Ukraine.But he warned: “Large numbers of Tory voters just won’t turn out, but they won’t vote Labour or Liberal Democrat either – which could lead to some strange results in red-wall areas.”Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said even the cost of living crisis had failed to drown out dissatisfaction about Mr Johnson’s leadership on the doorstep.“Some people are really upset with a prime minister who is not a decent man. People expect the British prime minister to be someone of integrity, of honesty, who abides by the law,” he told Sky News.Mr Johnson also doubled down on his opposition to a windfall tax on oil and gas companies – even dismissing comments from BP, which said it would not cut its investment plans for the UK.The prime minister insisted that green investment was “a much, much better solution than clobbering them and dissuading them, stopping them from making that investment”. More

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has been mocked for avoiding use of Conservative Party branding in a green-coloured leaflet sent out to his constituents.Tory blue was conspicuously absent from the “constituency report” pamphlet distributed to residents in Esher and Walton, shared online ahead of Thursday’s local elections.The Green Party said it appeared that Mr Raab was trying to disown his own party – accusing the Tories of a “cynical and foolish attempt” at highlighting their green credentials.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner also mocked the justice secretary over the leaflet, tweeting: “Dominic Raab is turning green.”It follows green branding used by fellow Tory minister Paul Scully during recent campaign work in his Sutton and Cheam constituency.The business minister shared a photo of himself next to his green-covered poster during a pop-up surgery in a supermarket last month.“While it’s no surprise to see the other parties recognise how popular the Greens are, it is extremely concerning that they would try to trick voters into thinking they were standing for us,” a Green Party spokesperson told The Independent.They added: “This appears to be nothing more than a cynical and foolish attempt at greenwashing their own credentials, which are utterly woeful when it comes to addressing the climate crisis and standing up for nature.”Mr Raab’s pamphlet, promoted on his behalf by his local Conservative association, contains his six-point plan for the constituency – including protection of the green belt and better transport links.The senior cabinet minister was pictured campaigning in his constituency last week with a blue sticker and blue-coloured leaflets used to promote local Tory council candidates.It follows a recent complaint by the Green Party in North Tyneside – who accused the local Tory party of trying to “exploit” voters by posting election leaflets which appeared to mimic the Greens.North Tyneside Council said it had received complaints about the material – which urged residents to “Go Green for North Tyneside” – and had referred them on to the Electoral Commission watchdog.Meanwhile, several Tory council election candidates were found to be calling themselves “local Conservatives” and pleading with voters not to “punish” them for Partygate in leaflets.One read: “This Thursday, please don’t punish local Conservatives for the mistakes made in Westminster, we are local and proud of where we live and, like you, we want the best for Hartlepool.”Ms Rayner said it appeared that some Tory candidates were “ashamed” to be linked to Boris Johnson following the scandal.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” she said. “Tory candidates are trying to hide from their own government’s record.”The Independent has contacted Mr Raab’s office and the Conservative Party for comment. More

The press watchdog has rejected all complaints about an article claiming Angela Rayner crossed and uncrossed her legs in the Commons in a bid to distract Boris Johnson.Anonymous Tory MPs quoted in a Mail on Sunday article claimed the deputy Labour leader tried to knock the prime minister “off his stride” during Prime Minister’s Questions by “crossing and uncrossing her legs” in a scene supposedly reminiscent of the film Basic Instinct.The article, headlined “Stone the crows! Tories accuse Rayner of Basic Instinct ploy to distract Boris”, sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with many branding it misogynistic.The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) received more than 6,000 complaints about the story, which it said fell under the clauses of accuracy, privacy and harassment, and discrimination.Third party complaints and complaints made under Clause 1 (Accuracy)The regulator said it could only investigate complaints made by third parties that fell under the clause of accuracy — but that it would not do so in this case without the involvement of Ms Rayner.“Before deciding to accept complaints from third-party complaints about accuracy, we need to consider the position of the party most closely involved,” the watchdog said.“In order to decide whether the Editors’ Code was breached, IPSO would need to investigate and make findings about things which Ms Rayner is claimed to have said and done. “Such an investigation would not be possible without her involvement, and because of this, we declined to consider complaints made under this Code clause. “This does not affect the ability of Ms Rayner to make a complaint on this point.”Clause 2 (Privacy) and Clause 3 (Harassment)People also complained the article intruded into Ms Rayner’s private life and could lead to stalking or harassment.IPSO said it could not consider the complaints because “no complainant was acting as an authorised representative”.Clause 12 (Discrimination)Some complainants said the article breached Clause 12 (Discrimination) because it was misogynistic and classist.IPSO said Clause 12 was designed to protect specific individuals mentioned by the press from discrimination based on their race, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or any physical or mental illness or disability. It does not apply to groups or categories of people.“Complainants’ concerns that the article discriminated against women in general, or was classist, did not relate to an individual,” the watchdog said.Taste and offenceMany complainants were concerned that the article was offensive, however the Editor’s Code does not address issues of taste of offence, IPSO said.It added: “We recognised that many complainants found the content of the article to be offensive or tasteless.“However, this did not in itself mean that the article was in breach of the Code by reporting them.”IPSO said it would continue to closely monitor the issues. More

Boris Johnson ‘out of touch’ over cost of living crisis, says Keir StarmerAngela Rayner claims Tory election candidates are ashamed to be linked with the prime minister, by running as “local Conservatives” and pleading with voters not to “punish” them for the Partygate scandal.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” Labour’s deputy leader said.The extraordinary attempts by some candidates to distance themselves from Mr Johnson’s troubles are revealed in election leaflets for the nationwide polls on Thursday.Earlier, she claimed the Conservatives hadn’t “got a clue” about the cost of living crisis after a government minister suggested poorer families buy value brands to save on food bills.George Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some sort of value brand rather than own branded products they can actually contain and manage their household budget.”Show latest update

1651675352Sinn Fein eyes historic win in Northern IrelandIf opinion polls are right, tomorrow’s local elections will lead to Sinn Fein becoming the largest group in the 90-seat Northern Ireland Assembly, giving the nationalist party the post of first minister for the first time:Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:421651674332Press watchdog rejects complaints over Mail’s Rayner articleThe press watchdog has rejected all complaints about an article claiming Angela Rayner crossed and uncrossed her legs in the Commons in a bid to distract Boris Johnson.The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) received more than 6,000 complaints.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:251651672839How local elections could make or break Boris JohnsonHanging on to the keys of Downing Street is not the only political challenge facing the prime minister, writes John Curtice.Read his full piece here: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 15:001651672239Senior Tory: Ukraine policy would get ‘stronger’ if PM replacedBritain’s support for Ukraine would get even “stronger” if Boris Johnson were to be replaced as prime minister, a senior Tory has claimed.Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence committee, spoke to BBC politics earlier and was asked whether it would be wise to remove Mr Johnson while the war continues in Ukraine.Mr Ellwood has publicly called for the PM to resign after being found to have broken Covid laws.More comments below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:501651672229Tories ‘ashamed’ of Johnson linksLabour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner says Conservative candidates in tomorrow’s local elections are ashamed to be connected to Boris Johnson.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 14:501651671339 ‘Beergate’ is Tory mudslinging, Starmer insistsSir Keir Starmer would not be drawn on providing further details in relation to allegations he broke lockdown rules while out campaigning on the last day before the elections.The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking a beer with colleagues in April 2021 in Durham during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election.Sir Keir said he wanted to focus on the cost-of-living crisis and not Conservative “mudslinging”.Asked if Durham Police have contacted him in recent days, Sir Keir said: “I have not had contact from Durham Police and I think people are just about fed up with the mudslinging that’s going on.”We know there’s elections coming, we know what the Conservatives are up to. What we need to do, I think, is focus on the issue in hand, which is the cost of living.”Asked what he was doing at 11pm in Durham on the night in question, and if he went back to work having eaten, he said: “We were working, we stopped, we ate. “No breach of the rules. No party. And I think that’s enough for the mudslinging from the Tories on this.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:351651670439Tories ‘ashamed’ to be linked to PM, says LabourAngela Rayner MP, Labour’s deputy leader has responded to reports that Tory council election candidates as running as “local Conservatives”, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest , writes.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” she said.“With no answers to the cost of living crisis, Tory candidates are trying to hide from their own government’s record.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:201651669416Ed Davey – BP has called government’s ‘bluff’ on windfall taxOil and gas giant BP has called the government’s “bluff” on calls for a windfall tax on profits to help people struggling with their energy bills, Ed Davey has claimedThe Liberal Democrat leader spoke to Sky News following comments by BP chief executive Bernard Looney, who said the firm would still invest in the UK even if it was hit with the tax.He did, however, say that the policy could result in job losses and hit pensions.Prime minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, have both ruled out a windfall tax on energy companies, saying it would deter investment in renewable energy.More comments for Mr Davey below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:031651668654Starmer: Tories have ‘no answers’ on cost of living crisisBoris Johnson’s government has “no answers” to the cost of living crisis, Keir Starmer has claimed.The Labour leader spoke to Sky News earlier on the final day of campaigning before the local elections.More comments from Mr Starmer below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:501651667937Breaking: Neil Parish officially resigns after watching porn in CommonsNeil Parish has formally resigned as an MP after admitting watching pornography in the Commons, the Treasury has announced.Our politics correspondent Ashley Cowburn has this breaking story: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:38 More

Tory council election candidates are calling themselves “local Conservatives” and pleading with voters not to “punish” them for the Partygate scandal.The extraordinary attempts by some candidates to distance themselves from Boris Johnson’s troubles are revealed in election leaflets distributed in the run-up to the nationwide polls on Thursday.They read: “This Thursday, please don’t punish local Conservatives for the mistakes made in Westminster, we are local and proud of where we live and, like you, we want the best for Hartlepool.”At least two candidates in the flagship red-wall town have put an identical message on their leaflets, and there are reports of similar tactics being employed by some Tories in London.Meanwhile, a cabinet minister has hinted that the prime minister may have to fall on his sword if it becomes clear that he has lost the support of his own MPs, ahead of Friday’s crucial results.Two weeks ago, Mr Johnson was forced to abandon an attempt to block a contempt inquiry into whether he had lied to parliament over the lockdown parties held in Downing Street.George Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “All prime ministers will always be very conscious of the mood in their parliamentary party, because no government can get anything done unless it enjoys the support of the parliamentary party as a whole.“So of course the prime minister will be thinking about these things.”Mr Johnson has escaped further fines from the Metropolitan Police in the run-up to elections day, but the controversy has dogged the Conservatives on the doorstep.On Tuesday, the prime minister revealed that he had “not so far” received a questionnaire for a leaving party in No 10 during lockdown, which was held for his outgoing director of communications Lee Cain.There are reports that some Downing Street staff have received questionnaires about the event – held on the same November 2020 night as the “Abba” party in Mr Johnson’s own flat.Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, said Conservative candidates would be unable to escape the public backlash against illegal parties, whatever they called themselves.“Local or not, Conservative candidates are still backing a law-breaking prime minister and a tax-raising chancellor – even if they’re too ashamed to admit it,” she said.Government ministers have also been accused of being out of touch on the cost of living crisis – as Mr Eustice suggested hard-pressed Britons buy cheaper “value” brands to save money.Mr Johnson was criticised for downplaying the biggest plunge in living standards in decades, when he said voters were “feeling the pinch”.“I know that families across the country are feeling the pinch as the cost of living rises,” the prime minister wrote in a newspaper article. “That’s why we’re focused on growing the economy to address the cost of living, and it’s why keeping bills down and cutting council waste is more important than ever.” More