The Conservatives could be plunged into the political wilderness if Brits vote tactically at the next election.
Analysis of local election results show the country is more fragmented than ever when it comes to party lines.
But one thing that is uniting voters is a common resentment towards the Conservative Party.
Rishi Sunak’s party shed over 1,000 councillors in the elections last week, a scenario that was viewed as the very worst case among many political commentators.
Labour enjoyed big gains in old Red Wall heartlands such as Stoke, Mansfield and Hartlepool, which backed Boris Johnson and Brexit last time out.
But the party lost out elsewhere, with the Lib Dems and Greens making gains in Remain-leaning areas.
It suggests a hung parliament could be in store at the next general election, with the Tories left licking their wounds in the political wilderness.
Writing in the Guardian, Robert Ford said there is “growing evidence of an electorate sufficiently angry at Tory incumbents to back whoever stands a chance of defeating them may presage tactical voting on a scale not seen since 1997”.
“Such tactical voting would bring many extra seats into play for both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Though the beneficiaries may vary, a strongly anti-incumbent mood is abroad.
“That is bad news for the government, and good news for all its opponents.”
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