For some Tory candidates, despair is the appropriate mindset in the final days of the election campaign. Others are angry. Many remain disbelieving of polls that point to a Labour landslide. Ahead of polling day, there are already those worried about a swift leadership election lurching the party further to the right. A certain gallows humour has also kicked in. “You know what they say,” said one candidate. “It’s always darkest before it’s completely pitch black.”
As Tory candidates complete a torrid campaign that began with Rishi Sunak’s rain-soaked announcement of a July election, the full range of emotions is on display among them. For most candidates who spoke to the Observer last week, Sunak’s decision to leave D-Day commemorations early came up as the main frustration, even eclipsing the election date betting scandal.
