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Conservative candidates are distancing themselves from Rishi Sunak and his party’s brand in the run-up to local elections in England and Wales this week, in a sign of concerns over the party’s tarnished national reputation.
Mayoral candidates and prospective councillors have ditched Tory blue for a wide palette of colours and opted against referencing the party in an effort to emphasise local over national issues.
Keane Duncan, who is running to be the first mayor of York and North Yorkshire, has few clues on his website that he is standing for the Tories — or that the prime minister represents a parliamentary seat in the region.
Susan Hall and Andy Street, Conservative mayoral candidates in London and the West Midlands, have also chosen different colour schemes.
Hall’s campaign branding is a conspicuous departure from fellow London Assembly member Lord Shaun Bailey, whose 2021 mayoral run was much more aligned with the party’s traditional imagery.
“When your own brand is so toxic, it does make sense for your own candidates to disassociate themselves. If that means to some extent diluting the brand, then so be it,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
Although rightwing rebels in the Commons claim Sunak will face a challenge to his leadership if the Tories suffer heavy losses, the local elections on Thursday have offered party candidates an opportunity to focus on their region rather than Westminster.
The Conservative majority in Westminster has nearly halved since the 2019 general election, while divisions among MPs and scandals over the conduct of some sitting parliamentarians have tarnished the party’s reputation.
Bale said both Conservative MPs and councillors were “divorcing themselves” from the national party at a time when opinion polls put it about 20 points behind Labour, and Sunak’s net favourability is at an all-time low for an incumbent prime minister.
Polling company Ipsos this month said Sunak had a net rating of -59, a new personal nadir and a figure last registered in 1994 by John Major, who went on to suffer a landslide defeat to Tony Blair.
Andy Street — who faces a close race to be returned as mayor of the West Midlands, and this month urged Conservatives to eschew “posturing” in favour of delivery to boost their general election chances — is the archetype of this trend, according to Luke Tryl, director of consultancy More in Common.
“In focus groups, people say they will vote for Street because he’s not a Tory or has stood up to the party,” Tryl said. “If he does win, it will be entirely because he’s been able to mitigate the Tory brand.”
Street’s 149-page campaign manifesto references the Conservatives once and his campaign literature avoids references to the party in favour of a more individualised approach. His campaign, meanwhile, has emphasised green and purple over blue.
In a recent article for ConservativeHome, a party activists’ website, Street said he had adopted a “brand Andy” approach since first being elected eight years ago. “When I first agreed to go for this job . . . it was on the understanding that I would do it my own way,” Street wrote.
Local councillors have also presented voters with an array of campaign literature as they seek to distance themselves from the party and Sunak.
Candidates are not required to include their party’s logo or make use of specific colour or branding, according to the Electoral Commission, the elections watchdog.
The Conservative party said: “Local Conservatives are talking about what they have delivered locally or the issues that need tackling in their area. Leaflets are clearly marked as being political material and comply with the relevant electoral rules.”
If Street is re-elected along with Lord Ben Houchen, the current mayor of Tees Valley, Sunak is expected to focus his messaging after Thursday on the party’s retention of the two mayoralties it now holds, despite the potential loss of hundreds of council seats.
Both Tory mayors’ individual polling is well ahead of the main party in their respective regions, and with Sunak’s focus quickly turning to a general election where candidates will have less leeway, the challenge will be convincing prospective MPs to march behind the party’s banner.
In a three-minute campaign launch video posted on X last month Ashvir Sangha, Tory candidate for Birmingham Edgbaston, stood in front of an orange background and said his “total focus is on being a great local MP”, leaving out the word Conservative.
Street, Hall and Duncan were contacted for comment.
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