Rishi Sunak: Voters want Tories to 'deliver for them'
Rishi Sunak this morning insisted there is no “massive groundswell of movement” towards Labour.
The Prime Minister attempted to play down the Tories’ drubbing in the local elections as experts warned the party could lose 1,000 seats.
Speaking outside the Conservative campaign headquarters in central London, Mr Sunak said: “It’s always disappointing to lose hard-working Conservative councillors, they’re friends, they’re colleagues and I’m so grateful to them for everything they’ve done.
“In terms of the results, it’s still early, we’ve just had a quarter of the results in, but what I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people’s priorities – halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats.
“That’s what people want us to do, that’s what I’m going to keep hard at doing.”
Pressed on what was going to change in the wake of the bruising results, Mr Sunak said: “We’ve only had a quarter of the results in. Actually we’re making progress in key electoral battlegrounds like Peterborough, Bassetlaw, Sandwell.
“But the message I am hearing from people tonight is that they want us to focus on their priorities and they want us to deliver for them.
“That’s about halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats.
“That’s what people care about, that’s what they want us to deliver, and that’s what I and the Government are going to work very hard to do.”
Asked if he took personal responsibility for the Tories’ performance and if Boris Johnson had something he does not, the Prime Minister said: “Well, if you look at the results we have only had a quarter of the results in so it is hard to draw firm conclusions.
“We are actually making progress in key election battlegrounds like Peterborough, like Sandwell, like Bassetlaw for example.
“You mentioned the Labour Party, look, I am not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for their agenda.
“What people want us to do is focus on their priorities.”
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