By any measure it’s been a grim day for the Conservatives – they misplaced the by-election for an MP in Blackpool South thanks to an enormous swing to Labour, they’re on monitor to lose round half of the native election council seats they contested and their projected nationwide vote share is right down to a dismal 25%.
However in a triumph of expectation administration Rishi Sunak seems to be secure from a management problem this weekend after Ben Houchen held on to his job because the Tory mayor of Tees Valley.
