Will Tories dump Rishi Sunak if election results worse than expected?

MPs on the campaign trail say they have not detected a visceral dislike of Rishi Sunak but there is a voter perception that he is dismissive and out of touch. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty

With just two days to go before a knife-edge election in Rishi Sunak’s own back yard, it was the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, campaigning in North Yorkshire, where Labour is expected to win the mayoralty. The prime minister wasn’t even elsewhere on the campaign trail, but in London, speaking to editors at a media freedom event.

It is a stark contrast to the last time these seats in the local elections were in the spotlight. Boris Johnson named the day “Super Thursday” and was a looming presence on the campaign at the height of the Conservatives’ vaccine bounce, especially at the Hartlepool byelection, which the Tories won from Labour.