'Tories crushed' as rebels 'end plot to oust Sunak'
Almost all of the papers say the Conservatives are facing the worst local election results in 40 years. The Guardian says the party has been "crushed", prompting one former minister to declare that "there was no such thing, really, as a safe Tory seat any more".
On their front pages the Times, the Daily Mail, and the Daily Express all report that Tory rebels have given up on a plan to use losses in the local elections to try to remove Rishi Sunak.
After the Conservative, Ben Houchen was re-elected mayor of Tees Valley, the plotters no longer believe they can get 52 letters of no confidence needed to trigger a vote on the prime minister's future. The Mail and the Express say one of the rebels admitted the plan was finished and said the group were "off to the pub".
There's a variety of views in the editorials. The Mail says the Conservatives expected a thumping and they certainly got one. The paper says Tory MPs have no one else to blame but themselves because they've been obsessed with factionalism and conspiracy, instead of buckling down and rewarding the public's faith. But the Mail says there is a glimmer of hope for Mr Sunak, because Labour's performance was not as overwhelming as Sir Keir Starmer had hoped.
The Daily Mirror believes voters have "read the last rites for a discredited and decrepit Tory Party" and "the only service the Conservatives can now do for the public is to pack their threadbare belongings and leave the building." The paper says every day Mr Sunak stays in Downing Street is another day he denies this country the future it craves and needs.
"A Starmer government is not inevitable" is the headline above the Daily Telegraph's editorial. The paper says Labour has underperformed in some of the most important races and it's been deserted by some Muslim voters. It says if John Swinney pulls the SNP out of a downwards spiral in Scotland he may deny Labour vital seats in its pursuit of a majority.
According to the Times, the Tories may have avoided a wipeout - but not by much. The paper says the outlook for the party ahead of a general election appears more dire than ever. But it warns that it would be farcical to either attempt to remove Mr Sunak or to seek to win Reform voters by moving to harder line positions on such issues as immigration and the culture wars.
The Express says Rishi Sunak will need to demonstrate true fighting spirit to stop the era of Conservative government coming to a crashing end. The paper says the prime minister works phenomenally hard, but he must convince the country he is laying the foundations for future prosperity.
Away from the local elections, the Sun and the Mirror report that Prince Harry is expected to meet the King next week. The Sun says the prince will be in London at an Invictus games ceremony and is understood to very keen to see his father.
