Almost half of Tory councillors think Rishi Sunak's Government is 'too left-wing', poll finds - as PM is warned next month's local elections will be a 'bloodbath'

Almost half of Tory councillors think Rishi Sunak's Government is too left-wing, a new poll has revealed.

A Savanta survey found that 47 per cent believed the Conservative Party under the PM's leadership is too left-wing, compared to 24 per cent who said it is too right-wing.

Around a quarter (26 per cent) said the party had the balance 'about right', while three per cent said they didn't know.

Polling experts suggested there was a wider feeling among Britons that the Tories 'don't really represent conservative values as much as before'.

It came amid fresh warnings that Mr Sunak is facing a Tory 'bloodbath' at next month's local elections.

It has been predicted the Conservatives could lose up to 500 seats at the 2 May contests across England – half their councillors facing election.

The Savanta survey of 391 Tory councillors also found more than two-thirds were dissatisfied with their national party, while 54 per cent were dissatisfied with the Government's performance, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Claire Bullivant, who edits the grassroots Conservative Post website and is chief executive of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, told the newspaper: 'In my experience, most Conservative councillors follow the Ronald Reagan principle and will never berate a fellow Conservative or talk down our party publicly.

'So even though these figures paint a bleak picture, I'm sure they're actually even bleaker in reality.'

She added: 'I have a lot of readers who are councillors, and I hear their dissatisfaction on a daily basis.

'You have to remember these guys are our Conservative army who are in the trenches day in and day out, pounding the pavements, doing the donkey work and talking to the public on the doorsteps for very little reward or compensation.

'However, off the record they tell me they are sick of defending Rishi, who isn't stopping the boats and isn't delivering on key conservative issues.

'Many tell me they know May 2 will be a bloodbath and they're devastated they'll lose their positions.

'They know they're in the firing line paying the price for Rishi's failings.'

The Savanta research was commissioned by Labour Together, a think tank who are supportive of Sir Keir Starmer's leadership of the party. 

Chris Hopkins, the political research director at Savanta, said the views of  Tory councillors tended to be a 'proxy' for grassroots sentiment.

'Ultimately, there is just not a lot of satisfaction with how things have gone for the Conservative Party,' he said.

'We are definitely seeing in national polling a real switch towards Reform at the moment from Conservative voters – there is an idea that the Conservative Party don't really represent conservative values as much as before.

'The issue of immigration is absolutely driving a significant proportion of voters to Reform.

'It is not necessarily that the Conservative party are seen as pro-immigration, but that they haven't delivered on their anti-immigration rhetoric.'