Cost of Living Set to Overshadow Partygate in UK Local Elections

The UK's local elections on 5 May couldn't have come at a much worse time for the Conservative party. Latest projections suggest the Tories could lose up to 550 seats - a result which would represent their worst local election performance in a generation. At a time of devastating increases to the cost of living, the fallout from the latest 'partygate' revelations and fines have put massive additional pressure on the prime minister.

As a survey by Ipsos reveals though, despite the massive political damage done to Johnson and key members of his party, the lockdown rule breaking is taking a back seat in the minds of voters, at least for this round of local elections. As our infographic shows, the cost of living is a 'very important' factor for 67 percent of adults in Great Britain when considering who to vote for, trumping even their opinions on the local government and candidates that they will be directly voting for.

Partygate is apparently going to be in the front of just 37 percent of voters' minds, while only 36 percent will be giving serious consideration to their opinions on party leaders - good news for Johnson whose approval rating is still on the floor, despite a temporary Ukraine war-driven boost in March. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, the cost of living crisis which developed on their watch, is looking to be a significant enough issue to create a crisis of their own come 5 May.