Bumbling Boris Johnson may be delighted to see the end of this week after it was confirmed he'd be facing a THIRD official investigation over his Partygate 'lies'.
The Prime Minister appeared desperate on Friday, as he concluded the end of his India trip, urging reporters to focus on the new trade agreement he had signed with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
But he faces another test in just under two weeks - the local elections which are being held on Thursday 4 May.
In England, 146 councils are holding elections including metropolitan, unitary, district, council and London boroughs with seven Mayoral elections being held.
Senior Tories have already admitted that the "drip, drip" of authority away from the Prime Minister in the event of further fines could damage the party at the local elections.
Meanwhile Labour leader Keir Starmer has promised Brits his party will be "on your side"
In a speech in Bury Mr Starmer and Ms Rayner unveiled research claiming families would be £2,629 worse off per yer under the Tories as the nation heads for the worst fall in living standards since the 1950s.
Which are the key battlegrounds of the 2022 local elections?
Hartlepool
Hartlepool has been constantly changing over recent years, with the Conservatives winning a historic parliamentary by-election in 2021.
The Tories stole the constituency from Labour for the first time since its creation in 1974, with candidate Jill Mortimer winning more than half the votes cast at 51.8%.
Labour blamed their devastating loss on previous leadership, with a source telling reporters: "The message from voters is clear and we have heard it.
"Labour has not yet changed nearly enough for voters to place their trust in us."
Labour lost control of the authority in 2019, and it is currently run by a coalition of Tories and Hartlepool Independent Union councillors.
There are 13 Tory councillors with 11 Labour councillors set to compete in this election
Peterborough
The Conservatives are the largest party in this city council but there is no overall control by any party.
The Tories hold 28 of the 60 council seats, and are currently just three seats short of a majority.
Labour would struggle to gain control of this council, but if they did it will provide a welcome boost to Labour's leadership.
The Parliamentary constituency is very high on Labour's agenda, after former MP Fiona Onasanya won it for Labour back in 2017 but was removed from Parliament over a speeding offence.
Labour held the parliamentary seat in a 2019 by-election but then lost it in the general election the same year.
With Partygate still very much on the horizon, it could be a good council to see just how fed up the public are with the Government and whether they are willing to send the "Tories are message" as Mr Starmer has urged Brits to do.
Croydon
Croydon seen as a red-blue swing area in south London will be a barometer for ex-mayor Mr Johnson ’s wavering fortunes against Labour in the capital.
While Labour have a solid 11-seat majority, all 70 seats are up for election and the party had already hit a high water mark in 2018.
Labour haven’t had an easy rise locally, where the Labour-led council could be forced to declare bankruptcy again.
But it’s not plain sailing for the Tories either - it’s one of a handful of councils in London where representatives have branded themselves ‘Local Conservatives’.
Labour MP John Spellar claims it’s a “desperate bid to distance themselves from Boris Johnson and the Partygate scandal.”
Watford
Watford Borough Council is currently a Liberal Democrat stronghold and currently has no Conservative members.
Situated in the county of Hertfordshire, this council seat could be the source of worry for Conservatives where they hold control but lack enough situated ground.
A senior Tory source has noted the Conservatives have tended to lose to both the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party in 'shire' counties like Hertfordshire in which Watford is based.
The bigger issue is there will be 12 seats up for grabs but the Lib Dems will not be able to lose control even if they did not win any seats this time around.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey has said this years elections are about gaining and building on footholds where the Lib Dems are strong in nearby areas.
There are also Mayoral elections in this battleground.
Liberal Democrat Mayor Peter Taylor will be seeking re-election as Labour's Asif Khan and the Tories Binita Mhta-Parmar will hope to become the first non-Lib Dem Mayor since the council was created in 2002.
