Why are the Conservatives expected to lose so badly in the Local Elections? It's simple - they appeal to nobody

Something that is likely to happen following this week's local elections is that coverage of the results will be overshadowed by the King's coronation at the weekend. In a lot of ways, it will provide a perfect cover for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives after what is expected to be a catastrophic event for the beleaguered party at the ballots.

The expectation at this point is that the Conservatives will lose around 1,000 councillors - obviously, if this is the expectation for a Conservative worst case scenario and the results are not as catastrophic, it will be perceived as 'not as bad as the doomsters predicted.'

If it comes to pass, however, and 1,000 councillors are lost, or if it’s even worse than that and the results show an almost complete collapse of support, then Rishi Sunak has many existential questions to answer; chiefly, those over his own future and broadly, that of the Conservative Party.