Tory Party Bizarrely Refuses To Share Details About Rishi Sunak's Vote In Local Elections

Party leaders typically want publicity around their participation in the democratic process.
The Conservative Party has not revealed where Sunak voted.
The Conservative Party has not revealed where Sunak voted.
Future Publishing via Getty Images

The Conservative Party has caused some confusion after refusing to reveal where Rishi Sunak voted in the local elections.

The prime minister could have voted in London if he was registered at his Downing Street address or he could have voted in his North Yorkshire constituency.

Both areas would have required the PM to vote on a new mayor.

But, a Conservative spokesperson could only confirm to HuffPost UK that Sunak “has voted”, and offered no further details.

This is particularly surprising because party leaders normally encourage media interest in their personal voting habits on polling days.

Labour leader Keir Starmer posted photos of himself voting for the Labour candidate Sadiq Khan in London on Instagram.

If Sunak had voted in the capital, he presumably would have voted for Tory candidate Susan Hall, whom he has publicly endorsed.

Hall has been accused of “dog whistle politics” with her controversial social media posts and appeared to support Donald Trump in a tweet from 2020.

She also made headlines for claiming she was pickpocketed on the London underground only for her purse to be found later wedged between the seats.

If voting in North Yorkshire, the PM presumably would have been voting for Tory candidate Keane Duncan, who worked as a Daily Star news editor when the paper famously compared ex-PM Liz Truss to a lettuce.

His most prominent policy is a “radical” plan to buy and restore a Scarborough hotel to turn it into a venue.

According to The Mirror, reporters were even told on Thursday that details of the PM’s plans to vote would be revealed later in the day – only for further information to never materialise.

Sunak was seen campaigning with Conservative MP Greg Hands in London on Thursday, though.

Great to have the Prime Minister visit Chelsea on Polling Day and to join the Get Out the Vote push here!

Polls are open until 10pm! Bring photo ID.

Vote locally 3 times for:
🗳️ @Councillorsuzie Mayor
🗳️ @Tony_Devenish West Central
🗳️ @Conservatives Assembly pic.twitter.com/L429hsFxHr

— Greg Hands (@GregHands) May 2, 2024

The Conservatives are widely expected to have lost hundreds of seats in the local elections.

Within hours of the polls closing, it was revealed Labour had easily won the Blackpool South by-election, ousting the Conservatives from one of the Red Wall seats.

Starmer’s party also seized control of previously Tory councils, Hartlepool, Rushmoor and Redditch.

There are reports Tory rebels may use an exceptionally poor performance to oust Sunak from No.10 ahead of this year’s general election.

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