The Conservatives could be on course for disastrous local elections in London as a pollster predicts Boris Johnson will lose the true blue strongholds of Wandsworth and Westminster.
Lord Hayward says the May elections could see the Tories record their worst set of results in 50 years in the capital - a city Boris Johnson was once mayor of.
The elections expert told the Evening Standard the PM should be "very concerned" and that his party was "almost certain" to lose Wandsworth. The Tories have held the borough since 1978.
“He [Boris] should be very concerned,” said Lord Hayward. “With most opinion polls as they stand, Conservatives could control fewer London boroughs than they have at any point in the 50 years of the existence of these boroughs.
“If the Conservatives lose a series of boroughs in London it is likely they would also lose a number of local authorities outside and under those circumstances, it will influence the view of the Tory party at both voluntary and MP level as to whether they should continue with Boris as leader.”
His predictions come as some polls put Keir Starmer's Labour Party ahead of the Conservatives.
One survey by Deltapoll gave Labour a 16 point lead (49% vs 33%). The poll, for the Mail on Sunday, also found that 38% of voters thought Mr Starmer would make the best PM, while 33% backed Mr Johnson.
Questions are being increasingly asked about the PM's future as leader amid allegations of sleaze, rule-breaking parties at Downing Street and the Government's bungled handling of the Covid pandemic.
“The psychological blow of losing those two would be quite substantial,” Lord Hayward said of Wandsworth and Westminster.
He also said the party was “facing serious challenges” in Barnet and “possibly” Hillingdon.
More than 1,800 council seats in London’s 32 boroughs are up for grabs in May. Following local elections in 2018, the Tories held on to control in Bexley, Bromley, Wandsworth, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Barnet and Hillingdon.
The Lib Dems won in Sutton, Kingston and Richmond while in Havering no one party had overall control. The remaining 21 were all won by Labour.
Local elections will also take place across England, including in Red Wall areas in the North and Midlands - which are likely to be key battleground areas at the next general election.
