DEFIANT Rishi Sunak vowed the ‘fightback starts here’ as it emerged wavering voters could turn their backs on Sir Keir Starmer before the next election.
The Prime Minister issued the rallying cry despite Labour’s substantial poll lead, saying he was the right person to lead the country out of a “perfect storm” of troubles.
He faces a nightmare in-tray as he tackles a profound economic crisis, being ambushed by Labour with their sights on No10 and a general election on the horizon.
But in a letter to donors and supporters - reflecting on the Tories being in power since 2010 - he says: “This is every challenge of the last twelve years rolled into one."
He adds: “This is a challenging time for our country and our party - and we’ve got less than two years to turn it around. Not every measure we take will be popular.
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"But I can promise that they will all be made with one goal in mind: to build a country that our children and grandchildren will be proud of.”
The PM insists he must tackle head-on the Covid backlog and the small boat Channel crossings for a chance of extending his stay in Downing Street.
Downing Street sources say the PM doesn’t believe opinion polls are “credible”, with aggregated polls of voting intentions giving Labour 46 per cent and the Tories 23 .
Detailed research shows a third of constituents are undecided in areas which seem to be swinging behind Labour — giving Tory strategists hope the seats are winnable.
The Red Wall seats in the North and Midlands are seen as volatile and could determine the next election.
A revised projection of seats Labour could win has fallen from 517 to 353 Focaldata says.