Conservative MPs on Saturday night predicted fresh attacks on Rishi Sunak’s leadership within days, as they accused their own party of surrendering to Labour without a proper fight in two formerly safe Tory seats where byelections will be held this week.
But senior MPs said not properly contesting the seats risked demoralising an already deflated party during the run-in to a general election, and at a time when Labour was vulnerable after performing a massive U-turn last week over its green economic plans.
With Tory morale low, Sunak used an interview this weekend to champion tax cuts, while also insisting that he was “up for the fight” despite Labour’s stubbornly large poll lead.
A senior MP added that there had been no indication the party believed it could retain the two seats: “A number of people have commented that normally you are inundated with messages from the whips’ office requesting – and in some cases requiring – that you go to each byelection on at least three occasions.
In Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, where Conservative MP Chris Skidmore resigned over Sunak’s plan for a new law that “promotes the production of new oil and gas”, Labour is also the strong favourite in the seat.
Some complained of the prime minister’s decision to deride Starmer in the House of Commons over Labour’s position on transgender people while the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was watching from the public gallery.
The original article contains 888 words, the summary contains 239 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Conservative MPs on Saturday night predicted fresh attacks on Rishi Sunak’s leadership within days, as they accused their own party of surrendering to Labour without a proper fight in two formerly safe Tory seats where byelections will be held this week.
But senior MPs said not properly contesting the seats risked demoralising an already deflated party during the run-in to a general election, and at a time when Labour was vulnerable after performing a massive U-turn last week over its green economic plans.
With Tory morale low, Sunak used an interview this weekend to champion tax cuts, while also insisting that he was “up for the fight” despite Labour’s stubbornly large poll lead.
A senior MP added that there had been no indication the party believed it could retain the two seats: “A number of people have commented that normally you are inundated with messages from the whips’ office requesting – and in some cases requiring – that you go to each byelection on at least three occasions.
In Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, where Conservative MP Chris Skidmore resigned over Sunak’s plan for a new law that “promotes the production of new oil and gas”, Labour is also the strong favourite in the seat.
Some complained of the prime minister’s decision to deride Starmer in the House of Commons over Labour’s position on transgender people while the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was watching from the public gallery.
The original article contains 888 words, the summary contains 239 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!