Therese Raphael, Columnist

Boris Johnson Has Partied His Way to a Midterm Thrashing

Revelations of sleaze in parliament are the latest headwinds for U.K. Conservatives in local elections this week.

May 3, 2022 at 5:30 AM UTC

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. Previously, she was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

A pair of leaders facing difficult midterm elections.
Photographer: Pool/Getty Images Europe

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Britain’s Tories have been in power for a long time and incumbents generally get a midterm beating. So, of course, Boris Johnson is expecting a slapdown in local government elections on Thursday.

There are plenty of reasons for voters to deliver one. Historically, there is a pretty strong correlation between confidence in the economy and governing popularity. With inflation at a 30-year high and Britons feeling squeezed on all fronts, polls show the economy is the biggest concern voters have right now, well ahead of even health-care.