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UK Tories face election meltdown
Insights from The Times of London, The Guardian, and Sky News
The News
Britain’s ruling Conservative Party is facing a complete collapse in the country’s coming general election. The Tory party, which has been in power for nearly 14 years, has been wrought with scandals and public backlash. Recent polling suggests that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is the joint least-popular major British party leader ever.
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MPs dogged by scandals as election approaches
Tory MP William Wragg resigned as the Conservative Party whip earlier this month after it was revealed that he provided the phone numbers of members of parliament to a person he met on a dating app. This week, a second Tory, Mark Menzies, was alleged to have used thousands of pounds in donor money for his own expenses, The Times of London reported, saying he called constituents in the middle of the night to request money. The Conservative Party was reportedly aware of this for three months and did not take any action against Menzies, the paper noted.
Polls shows Conservatives could be decimated in election
Polling conducted last month found that the Tories could retain less than 100 seats in the next general election, expected later this year, with the opposition Labour Party on course to take nearly 500 of a possible 650 seats in Parliament. The Tories could lose most of their seats in Wales and Scotland, the polling found, and Sunak is on course to lose his own constituency. The Tories seem braced for an overwhelming defeat: “We’re stuffed,” one party insider told The Guardian. Morale is low among Conservative politicians, who are struggling to find volunteers willing to canvass with them because constituents respond poorly to door-knocking by their MPs.
