Sunak heads north after a flurry of Tory policies fail to move the dial in the polls

Rishi Sunak was on a visit to factory in Milton Keynes when he was questioned about Partygate by worker whose mother died in pandemic. Photograph: Alastair Grant/Reuters

Rishi Sunak is heading to north-east England for a rare foray into the “red wall” after a campaign that has so far focused on shoring up the Conservatives’ older, more affluent southern base.

The prime minister has spent much of the first week of the general election campaign speaking to voters in the south of England who are considering Reform UK, targeting them with a range of policy announcements including the return of national service and tax breaks for pensioners.