Tory mayor Ben Houchen takes extraordinary swipe at Rishi Sunak on eve of local elections

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Lord Houchen warned that his potential defeat in this week’s local elections should be “a wake-up call” for Tory MPs. Lord Houchen told The Independent: “There are lots of people who will come up to me and speak to me that say that they’re going to vote for me, but they probably won’t be voting for the Conservative Party in the general election.” He said attempts by ministers to crack down on illegal migration, including the release of pictures showing potential deportees being rounded up, “will not be enough” to save the party. One who is saying they’re going to vote Reform in the general election and another group who’s saying they’re just not going to vote.” Lord Houchen also believes Labour “is struggling to get its vote out” and claims that whatever the result the region will never be safe for Sir Keir Starmer’s party again. “If we were to lose on Thursday, I think that would be a wake-up call for a lot of people, certainly a lot of Conservative MPs across the red wall who don’t necessarily have the same deliverables and the things to point to that we do.” Lord Houchen also disagrees with Tory MPs who believe that solving the migrant crisis is the key to holding on to red-wall seats with a heavy focus on deportation flights to Rwanda.