Conservative rebels plan a 100-day political blitz if local elections are a disaster for the party

Rishi Sunak is bracing for a bruising week as Tory rebels unveiled plans for a 100-day political blitz to secure quick wins if local election results prove disastrous for the party.

The prime minister said on Sunday he was not distracted by his personal ratings remaining at record lows. He refused to rule out calling a general election for July amid growing rumors that rebel MPs will try to oust him if West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen are defeated on Thursday .

The defection of former Tory health minister Dr Dan Poulter to Labor on Saturday and the potential loss of half of the parties’ councilors later this week could ignite rebel Tories to challenge Sunak’s authority and overcome the line with letters of censure.

On Saturday night, Poulter dramatically quit the Conservative party because the party is failing the NHS and the party has become a right-wing nationalist party.

The part-time mental health doctor at an NHS hospital told the Observer that he could no longer look my NHS colleagues in the eye as a conservative, pointing to the only cure. [for the struggling NHS] it is a Labor government.

Conservative rebels say it’s time to end broken promises, far-fetched plans for change and bans they never asked for, and instead use 100 days to show the government is taking action and cares about what matters to the British people.

His five-point plan to end the reign of manipulation, divergence and management includes:

• An attempt to end the junior doctors’ pay dispute with a 10-12% offer.

• Further cuts in the number of legal migration, with a reduction in the number of foreign students staying in the UK.

• It promises to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2027.

• Introduce measures to jail prolific criminals and build fast-track detention cells to increase prison capacity.

• Reduce the benefits bill, with the aim of reducing payments for depression and anxiety.

A Conservative source said: These are policies that can be introduced in a few months and then go out into the country for the people to make a decision. We have to be clear and bold in our plan, and with the right messenger, to have any chance of winning, otherwise it could be two or three terms of work.

An Ipsos poll revealed on Thursday that Sunak’s personal satisfaction score had fallen to -59, matching the record low for a prime minister set by Sir John Major in 1994. Only 16% of people said they were satisfied with the performance of the prime ministers and 75% said they were dissatisfied.

Penny Mordaunt, who has been seen to be preparing for a leadership contest, also trailed Starmer in personal ratings by 17 points, with the Labor leaders own ratings falling from 29% to 25% since February. Allies of Mordaunts have denied he is vying for Sunak’s position and said he will continue in the job.

Sunak appeared irritable in an interview broadcast on Sky News Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, insisting he would say nothing more than he has already said about the timing of an election and his working hypothesis remained that it will be in the second half of the year.

Starmer will welcome Poulter, the Tory defector, back on Monday and promise to inject resources and reform mental health services.

Starmer last night said his fantastic Poulter had joined Labor to help bring the NHS back to life and promised his government would overhaul the way mental health is tackled.

Labor will use the moment to recommit to improving the Mental Health Act and provide 8,500 specially trained mental health staff, support in all schools and an open access early intervention center in every community, paid for from the closing tax loopholes.

Starmer said: I will not sit on my hands while tens of thousands of people have their lives on hold and ambition is curtailed as they languish on mental health waiting lists.

We are focused on the mission to rebuild public services and it is great that Dr Dan Poulter MP has joined us. It’s time to end the chaos, turn the page and reclaim Britain’s future.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: Keir Starmers own shadow mental health minister resigned because Labor did not take mental health seriously.

Also, where Labor is in power in Wales, they are failing patients with more people waiting longer to get the care they need. Work would bring us back to square one.