‘You’d Be Toast’: Labour’s Ashworth Taunts Tory Deputy Chair Over Election Losses

Tory deputy chair Jonathan Gullis was bluntly told by Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth that he’d be “toast” if the general election mirrored the recent local election losses experienced by his party.

Ashworth’s taunt came live during the BBC’s early morning local election coverage as Conservative councillors faced defeat nationwide, a telling sign of voter sentiment that could foreshadow greater challenges for the Tories in an upcoming general election.

Ashworth’s remarks followed a revelation that even with a staggering 16 percent swing to Labour in Lincolnshire, where the Tory police and crime commissioner narrowly clung to his position.

“That’s quite a swing, isn’t it?” Ashworth said before delivering his pointed prediction to Gullis: “You’d be toast, if there was a 16% swing to Labour, wouldn’t you?”

Gullis, who has represented his constituency since 2019 with a substantial majority, responded with a mix of dismissal and defiance. “I’m laughing because Jonathan wants me to go. I don’t fear anything in Stoke-on-Trent North.”

As the night progressed, Labour not only recaptured the parliamentary seat in Blackpool South with a significant 26 percent swing but also took control of multiple Tory strongholds, further underscoring the growing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s leadership.

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