Conservatives crushed in local elections leave Rishi Sunak on political death row

London: Rishi Sunak is sentenced to political death after his party suffered crushing defeats in a series of mayoral contests at the weekend, including in London and his flagship West Midlands. His fate appears sealed whether his Conservative colleagues challenge him in the coming weeks or not.

No positive spin on the horror result can mask the fact that British voters are waiting with cricket bats for a 14-year government, with the Conservatives losing nearly 500 council seats as well as the Blackpool South parliamentary by-election on a 26 per cent swing towards the Labor Party.

Analysis of votes across the country put the Conservatives at a projected national record vote share of 25 per cent, with the party overtaken by the Liberal Democrats in the number of council seats for the first time since 1996.

While it is unclear whether Labor would be able to form a majority in its own right, the Conservatives now appear unable to avoid a serious blow.