'IT'S LOSING BY A BIT, OR A MASSIVE DEFEAT': TORIES URGE RISHI SUNAK TO GO FOR A SUMMER ELECTION TO AVOID MELTDOWN LATER AS RUMOURS SWEEP WESTMINSTER - WITH PM GRIPING ABOUT 'HOSPITAL PASS' FROM BORIS JOHNSON AND LIZ TRUSS

Tories have warned Rishi Sunak that delaying the election until Autumn could mean a 'massive' defeat amid claims No10 is mulling a summer poll.

MPs raised fears that things will only get worse for the party, suggesting the PM could use the Rwanda row as a springboard for a campaign.

The frenzied speculation came as the PM publicly bemoaned his 'hospital pass' from Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, saying he had inherited the 'worst' situation for 'decades'.

Conservative unrest has been mounting over dire polls showing Keir Starmer on track for a landslide when the country goes to the ballot boxes. Election guru Sir John Curtice has estimated a 99 per cent chance of Labour being in power in the next Parliament.

The mood darkened further this week when two ministers quit to join an exodus from the Commons, while Reform UK has been gaining ground.

Many believe a confidence vote will be triggered after the local and mayoral contests on May 2, which will be highly damaging even if the premier survives.

Meanwhile, Channel crossings are likely to continue over the summer and economic growth is still bumping along the bottom.

One former minister told MailOnline that they were increasingly wondering if Mr Sunak would go for a summer election.

The premier could use the Lords refusing to give way on the Rwanda Bill after Easter as a 'trigger' to go to the country, they suggested.

The MP, who represents a northern seat, said the question Downing Street needed to ask was 'do we lose by a bit, or do we lose by a massive amount'.

They said that anecdotally a lot of the Reform UK votes were coming from Labour.

'You ask any Tory MP, the doorstep is not reflecting the catastrophic numbers in the polls,' they said.

'Labour has not sealed the deal. People don't hate the Tories. They don't love Starmer but they don't hate him. We've got to get our vote out and hope for the best.'

However, the ex-minister said No10 might be trying to 'scare' MPs into thinking there may be a snap election so they do not challenge Mr Sunak.

'That is high risk, though. It could become a self-fulfilling prophecy,' the MP added.

Another veteran Tory played down the prospect of an early election. 'November is the time to go for it,' they said.

'People will feel better about inflation. They will have more money in their pocket...

'It takes time for these things to filter through and for people to feel better.'

The Conservative added that they did not believe rebels were anywhere near the 53 MPs sending letters needed to trigger a no confidence vote.

'None of them have a plan of what to do if they did get rid of Rishi,' they said.

Speaking on The Story podcast from The Times, Mr Sunak said of his inheritance following the Johnson era and Ms Truss's meltdown: 'Someone described it as the worst hospital pass for any incoming prime minister in many decades.

'And that clearly it's been, there's lots of frustrations. We've been through a lot as a country over the past few years, which people are understandably frustrated about and makes the environment trickier.'

Mr Sunak also told Lord Hague - who previously held his Richmond, Yorks, seat in the Commons - about his regrets over the impact of his job on family life.

'I've got two young girls who mean the world to me. And, obviously, doing these jobs, it's hard to balance being a good dad and doing the job well,' he said.

'And obviously, you have to prioritise this job, because it's an important job and you're doing it on behalf of the whole country.

'So, you know, not being there for them as much as any dad would like to be is a challenge.

'And there's particular moments where you really feel that acutely, because there's something very difficult going on that you just can't be there for them and that's tough, but that's the job.'

However, the PM put a brave face on Sir John Curtice's view that it is now 'extremely unlikely' the Tories will hang on to power.

The professor of politics at Strathclyde University highlighted that the party would struggle to form alliances if there is a hung Parliament, putting the chance of Sir Keir becoming premier as '99 per cent'.

Mr Sunak said: 'We've had plenty of predictions about elections and referendums in the past years that turned out to be wrong. So we should always remember that.'

The PM's allies have appeared increasingly exasperated as the polls show no sign of improvement.

Some of Mr Sunak's senior aides are already said to be looking for post-election jobs.

There have been complaints that the Whitehall machine has slowed down with policies held up due to indecision in No10.

Those close to the Prime Minister are said to believe it would be worse to carry on until the autumn, with more Tories standing down and others plotting against him.

May's local election results are expected to be bruising and there are concerns that the loss of a large number of seats will intensify unhappiness among restive MPs.

It comes amid extraordinary claims - dismissed by No10 - that Mr Sunak himself is beginning to question his own ability to rescue the situation.

Tim Montgomerie, a prominent former Tory adviser, said a source in No10 had told him that the PM was 'openly saying to advisers in Downing Street, 'Am I not very good at this? Why isn't anything happening?'

Preparations for a general election have already begun, with departments being asked for policy ideas for the Tory manifesto and the Chancellor preparing for a fiscal event before it is called.

Asked about the prospect of a July election yesterday, a No10 source said: 'The working assumption is second half of the year.' July would technically fall in the latter half of the year.

To trigger a summer election, Mr Sunak would have to call it at the end of April for June, and the end of May for July.

One source close to rebels plotting to remove the PM said: 'When you have John Curtice predicting that Labour have a 99 per cent chance of winning it is hard to see how anyone can question the logic of at least considering whether a new leader would do a better job.

'It is patently obvious that we need to roll the dice before the election.'

2024-03-28T14:56:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd