Greg Hands has admitted the Tories face “a very difficult local elections” and said he’d welcome Boris Johnson’s return to the campaign trail.
In an interview with GB News, the Tory chairman also said the Government had made no decision over what should happen to SMART motorways which remain in place across the UK.
The admission came after it emerged no new SMART motorways will be opened in the future due to safety fears.
Addressing the troubles his party faces in the coming weeks, Hands told Camilla Tominey Today: “It's going to be a difficult set of elections obviously - it's the biggest set of elections in the four-year cycle of local elections.
The Tory chairman also said the Government had made no decision over what should happen to SMART motorways
GB News
"These seats were last fought in 2019 when it was a different political situation and when Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party.
“Labour did particularly badly that year. So Labour needs to show a lot of progress if they're going to seriously say at the General Election next year, that they've made progress and are ready to govern, which I don't believe that they are.”
On reports the Tories could lose 1,000 seats he said: “Well, that's what the independent academic experts are saying. But I know that our councillors and our council candidates are fighting amazingly hard.”
Asked if Boris could provide a boost he said: “Boris is very much part of the Conservative Party.
“We'll have to wait and see but Boris is always welcome to be out campaigning for us.
"What I discovered in the last few weeks, campaigning in the local elections, is a real enthusiasm for what Rishi Sunak is doing right and respect for the way that he is conducting himself as Prime Minister, getting on with the job, delivering the five priorities of halving inflation, restoring growth, reducing debt, cutting hospital waiting lists and stopping the boat."
On SMART motorways, he said: “I think it has been right for us to look at the evidence, to come about it with all the factors that are involved.
"And that's why we've taken the decision as a result of the public concern to cease new smart motorways. That's what I think is the right decision.”
Pressed on why the Government wasn't closing the new ones, he said: “I think we're going to have to obviously keep watching the situation and looking at that, but there are no plans to scrap the existing ones.
"This is actually a decision to stop there being new smart motorways at the moment. We will be constantly vigilant here on behalf of the public. We totally understand the public's concern.
"That is why we've stopped new smart motorways, but I'm saying that we will keep watching the situation with the existing ones.
“I think there's a difference between new proposals and motorways that are already in place and operating. We will keep watching the situation.
"We totally understand the concern and it’s quite right that the government puts public safety first above anything else. That is why we stopped doing a new smart motor as a result of that concern as a result of public safety fears.”
