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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Peter Walker and Jessica Elgot

A first verdict on Rishi Sunak looms in English council elections

A voter enters a polling station in Whitefield, Greater Manchester during elections for Bury council in 2022.
A voter enters a polling station in Whitefield, Greater Manchester during elections for Bury council in 2022. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The decision of Greg Hands, the Conservative chair, to breezily announce in a TV interview that the party expects to lose at least 1,000 seats in next month’s local elections raised a few eyebrows among his MPs.

“What did he do that for?” one bemused MP asked. “I know you always have expectations management, but this seems a bit early and a bit excessive.”

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