Will the Tories really lose 1,000 seats at the local elections?

Local election results are open to interpretation and the parties are exploiting that, writes Jon Stone

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (PA)

Labour and the Tories have spent the bank holiday weekend skirmishing on the airwaves ahead of the local elections.

The Tories say they’re expecting to lose 1,000 seats. Labour says Rishi Sunak’s party should be expecting gains.

This might appear a rather unusual sight to anyone unfamiliar with the run-up to contests like this. Each party was talking down their own chances. Shouldn’t they be talking them up?