The Conservatives are on track to lose more than 1,000 seats in the upcoming local elections, the party’s chairman has conceded.
Greg Hands pointed to election experts Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher as he did the media rounds on Sunday, suggesting a four-digit drain from the Tories with Labour expected to pick up 700 seats.
The cabinet chairman told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The independent expectations are that the Conservatives will lose more than 1,000 seats and that Labour need to make big gains.”
Accused by stand-in host Sir Trevor Phillips of trying to “massage expectations”, Hands said: “That is what the expectation is out there, but I’ve been up and down the country and the Conservatives are fighting really hard.”
Asked by Sir Trevor whether he could lose his job if the results are dire, Mr Hands said: “Well let’s see Trevor, but what I would say is that those are the independent predictions from the most credible academic sources.”
Mr Hands was seen with notes made in blue ink on his hand in Sunday’s broadcast interviews as he defended the record of Rishi Sunak’s government ahead of the 4 May polls.
Labour mocked the Tory cabinet minister after he was spotted with notes penned on his palm, tweeting: “Hands hands hands notes to Labour research team.”
Related: ‘Indictment bump’ helps Trump raise $34m so far in 2023
