UK heading for hung parliament, Rishi Sunak claims

Rishi Sunak concedes for the first time that the Tories could lose their majority but said voters wouldn’t want to see Labour ‘propped up’ in Downing Street by smaller parties.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunakclaims the country faces a hung parliament. Picture: Getty Images.

Britain is heading for a hung parliament, Rishi Sunak claimed as he urged Tory MPs to end their divisions and “come together” to take on Labour.

In his first comments since the extent of the party’s local election losses became clear, the prime minister admitted that the results had been “bitterly disappointing” for the Conservatives. The party lost nearly 500 council seats and the West Midlands mayoralty.

However, Sunak seized on a projection by the elections expert Michael Thrasher that suggested if Thursday’s results were replicated in a general election, Labour would fall short of enough seats to win power.

Sunak conceded for the first time that the Tories could be on course to lose their majority but said voters would not want to see Labour “propped up” in Downing Street by smaller parties. He insisted his party was the only one with “a plan to deliver”, despite criticism earlier yesterday (Sunday) from Suella Braverman, who urged him to change course.

The former home secretary, one of his fiercest critics, said it was too late for a change in leader because not even a “superman or superwoman” could restore Tory fortunes. “At this rate we will be lucky to have any Conservative MPs at the next election,” she warned.

One cabinet minister described the mood among Tory MPs as “sullen” and said the election results showed that the Conservatives were “clearly as behind as the polls suggest”.

Sunak insisted that the picture was not as bleak as his critics made out and pointed to the analysis from Sky News, which put the Tories only nine points behind Labour in the share of votes cast on Thursday. If this were replicated in a general election, he suggested, Labour would fall 32 seats short of an absolute majority and could have to rely on smaller parties to form a government.

“These results suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party,” he told The Times. “Keir Starmer propped up in Downing Street by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens would be a disaster for Britain.

“The country doesn’t need more political horse trading, but action. We are the only party that has a plan to deliver on the priorities of the people.”

Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during a post local election rally. Picture: AFP.

Other polling experts dismissed the projection, pointing out that it was based solely on the way in which people voted in the local elections – in which they tended to back smaller parties and independents, skewing the overall result. They said it was also based on Labour winning only one seat in Scotland.

Labour told Sky News that it was “not planning alliances” with the SNP “or anyone”.

Sunak, who is due to formally respond to the results today (Monday), the 14th anniversary of the election that brought the Conservatives to power in 2010, said he understood voters’ frustration but still believed he could win another term. “I know the last few years have been tough, and I understand why people are frustrated,” he said. “Losing good Conservative councillors and a mayor as fantastic as Andy Street who has done so much good for the West Midlands is of course bitterly disappointing. But I am determined to show people that we are delivering.”

Labour will mark the anniversary with a campaign highlighting what it says have been 14 years of “chaos”. Pat McFadden, the party’s election co-ordinator, told the BBC there was now a “sense of belief” that Labour could win.

A senior minister said he did not believe that Conservative MPs had given up hope but that they were “getting towards” that point.

The Times