Tories and Labour play down expected wins in local polls
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Your support makes all the difference.Iain Duncan Smith predicted that the Tories would make a net gain of 30 seats at this week's local elections, as his party and Labour both sought to play down expectations.
"We did so well last time round we will have to gain seats to stand still. If we do gain seats, the net gain may be 30 or so, which is what we put out. We are looking to keep control of councils because we won so many last time round," the Tory leader said yesterday.
Theresa May, the Conservative Party chairman, appeared more confident, telling ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme that "academic experts have said we would make gains in the range of 0 to 100".
Denying speculation that Mr Duncan Smith would face a leadership challenge if he failed to make substantial gains, she added: "The only poll that matters for the leader of a national party is the poll at the general election. Iain will be leading us into the next general election and then we will see what the result is."
John Reid, the Leader of the Commons, suggested that Mr Duncan Smith's leadership was under threat if he failed to make gains of between 500 and 1,000 seats.
"To do as well as William Hague did – and he was not regard as extremely successful – Iain Duncan Smith would have to win 1,000 seats from us," he told Breakfast with Frost on the BBC. "And if he doesn't, I have no doubt there will be talk of 'regime change'." Mr Reid said Labour was facing a "hard challenge" at the local elections.
The Liberal Democrats are expected to make gains of at least 150 in Thursday's polls, and may push the Tories into fourth place at the Welsh and Scottish elections.
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