Katherine Marshall: The local election is a political test for Boris Johnson

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson made a video link to the Ukrainian parliament. Following this, members of parliament stood up and applauded. The early support of the British Prime Minister for Ukraine has made him the most popular Western leader in Kiev.

At home, Boris Johnson is having a very difficult time.

Local elections are taking place in many parts of the UK on Thursday. The most dramatic estimates show that more than 500 conservative local politicians are at risk of losing their jobs. The prime minister has said he accepts “full political responsibility” for such a conservative loss.

I.e. local election A political test. Are British voters going to forgive Boris Johnson for corruption involving illegal parties on 10 Downing Street during the epidemics? Or not?

Politically, the biggest problem in the economy is rising prices. In an interview with ITV, Boris Johnson, a 77-year-old pensioner, had great difficulty responding to what LC should do. Elsie can’t heat her house. That’s why she spends all day on the bus.

The Prime Minister’s response was felt by many to be inadequate, as his government had made public transport free, at least for pensioners.

The problem is the fate of the LC Not unique. Poverty is widespread in the UK. Houses often dry out. As inflation rises to 7 percent, many families choose both heat and food at the same time. The opposition wants to introduce a tax on the sudden profits of energy companies. Boris Johnson says no.

The Prime Minister said such a tax would prevent energy companies from investing in sustainable technology and energy security. Instead, the government sends more money to local authorities and introduces new subsidies for those who cannot afford electricity and heating bills.

Political analysts who want to predict the political future of Boris Johnson will closely follow today’s local elections. There are three important indicators.

Political analysts who want to predict the political future of Boris Johnson will closely follow today’s local elections. There are three important indicators.

First, how it looks In the north of England. Boris Johnson has succeeded in winning many traditional working class districts in the region due to Brexit. Are people in these constituencies now starting to get tired of conservatives?

Another important indicator is how things are going in the middle class areas around London. Here, people traditionally vote for conservatives, but many of these voters do not like Brexit. So they are starting to look at parties like the Liberal Democrats or Labor. Will this trend continue?

The third indicator is whether the Conservative Party or the Labor Party will be the second largest party in Scotland. The Scottish Nationalists will win. The question is whether Labor can overtake the Conservatives and become the second largest party, a sign that Labor is not completely dead north of Hadrian’s Wall.

In other words, today’s election It’s not just about the future of many local politicians in Britain.

This is (as usual) about Boris Johnson.