Rishi Sunak is facing mounting despair among Tories as a poll found the party has slumped to its lowest support since the Liz Truss meltdown.
The PM tried to rally his troops as the Commons went into its Easter break yesterday, insisting that the economy is turning a corner and his ‘plan’ is working.
But within hours Mr Sunak suffered a double blow as two ministers quit, forcing a mini-reshuffle.
Robert Halfon unexpectedly resigned as skills minister, while James Heappey formally left his post as defence minister – with both stepping down from Parliament at the general election. Some 63 Conservatives, and more independents who were originally elected for the party, have so far announced they will not stand again.
The mood among MPs is increasingly bleak, with deep frustration at ‘childish’ campaigning blunders.
Chatter continues about a leadership challenge, with the moment of maximum danger seen as after the local and mayoral elections in May. However, critics seem unable to agree on a favoured replacement.
Polling guru Sir John Curtice said he believed there is now a ’99 per cent’ chance that Keir Starmer will end up in Downing Street, pointing out that the Tories would not have anyone to ally with in a hung Parliament.
A Savanta survey for the Telegraph put Labour on 44 per cent support, with the Tories down two points on 24 per cent – the lowest vote share since October 2022
Chatter continues about a leadership challenge, with the moment of maximum danger for Rishi Sunak (pictured in Barrow this week) seen as after the local and mayoral elections in May
The Savanta survey for the Telegraph put Labour on 44 per cent support, with the Tories down two points on 24 per cent – the lowest vote share since October 2022.
Alarmingly for Mr Sunak, Reform UK held on to its highest ever showing in Savanta research, at 11 per cent.
The firm’s political polling director Chris Hopkins said: ‘Reform UK’s high watermark from our most recent poll appears to be holding, and Labour’s vote share appears to be holding firm.
‘It is hard to envision, but there is no reason why things can’t get even worse for Rishi Sunak in the coming weeks.
‘That being said, it doesn’t look like there any readymade alternatives for the Conservatives to avoid electoral wipeout.’
Frustration among MPs has been stoked by a CCHQ campaign video decrying crime in London, that had to be withdrawn after it emerged footage was of New York.
Jeremy Hunt’s suggestion last week that £100,000 a year is not a particularly high wage also caused anger.
A Tory former minister told that they were in despair over the ‘childish’ output from CCHQ. ‘Rishi purged the people who didn’t like him and brought in sycophantic children. It is pathetic.’
They said that the London campaign video itself was ‘rubbish’, but the whole approach was also misguided. ‘It is negative campaigning, and it never works.’
Veteran MP Mr Halfon, who has served in a series of senior roles since first being elected to Parliament in 2010, said in a letter to Mr Sunak: ‘After well over two decades as the Harlow Parliamentary Candidate and as MP, I feel that it is time for me to step down at the forthcoming general election, and in doing so, to resign as a minister in your Government.’
Mr Heappey, the Conservative MP for Wells, Somerset, earlier this month announced his plan to quit as an MP and to stand down as a minister before then.
In a thread posted to X, he wrote: ‘I’ve loved every minute as MinAF in this incredible department.
‘Our Armed Forces & MoD civil servants are the very best of us.
‘Representing them in Parliament & around the world over last 4.5 years has been an amazing privilege.’
But he said ‘the work isn’t done’ in backing Ukraine, saying the UK ‘must continue to lead the world in the breadth and bravery of our support’.
Mr Sunak thanked Mr Heappey for his ‘invaluable role in implementing the Government’s defence agenda’.
‘You have made an important contribution to Government and your support to consecutive Conservative administrations at the Ministry of Defence has been commendable,’ the Prime Minister wrote in a letter.
Mr Heappey had reportedly been on ‘resignation watch’ from his ministerial role after telling colleagues privately that he was unhappy about the level of defence spending.
The former soldier issued a departing plea this week for the defence spending target of 2.5 per cent of GDP to be ‘achieved urgently’.
During a 10-year career in the Rifles, Mr Heappey served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Ireland and Kenya.
He had been hotly tipped to succeed Ben Wallace as defence secretary following his resignation last year.
But Mr Sunak instead gave the Cabinet post to Grant Shapps, who has no military experience.
The Tory exodus gathered pace yesterday as Robert Halfon quit the government and declared he will not stand for Parliament again
James Heappey posted a picture of himself leaving the Ministry of Defence on Twitter/X, alongside the caption ‘ENDEX’ which is a military term for ‘end of exercise’
In his letter to Mr Halfon, Mr Sunak told Mr Halfon he was ‘very sorry to hear’ of his decision to step down from Government and to stand down at the next election.
‘You have made an important contribution to our public life, spanning almost 25 years,’ the Prime Minister wrote.
He commended Mr Halfon for being a ‘stalwart champion’ for apprenticeships and promoting social mobility.
Leo Docherty will replace Mr Heappey as armed forces minister, while Luke Hall has been appointed to the Department for Education following the departure of Mr Halfon.
Other moves in the mini-reshuffle triggered by the resignations include Nus Ghani becoming minister for Europe at the Foreign Office and Alan Mak becoming a junior minister jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office.
Kevin Hollinrake, who as Post Office minister held a junior ministerial role, has now been promoted to minister of state rank in the Department for Business and Trade