Tory chairman urges MPs to ‘wait through weekend’ amid local election drubbing

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer looks at his watch as he celebrates at Blackpool Cricket Club after Chris Webb was declared winner in the Blackpool South by-election (Peter Byrne/PA)

The Conservative Party chairman has appealed to restive Tory MPs to “wait through the weekend” after a bruising first set of local election results, insisting Rishi Sunak is “the right man” to lead the party.

Richard Holden admitted it had been a “tough night”, but insisted the party’s drubbing on Friday was “typical for a Government in midterm” amid rumblings of unease among the parliamentary back benches.