AFP, London

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives yesterday braced for heavy losses in their first major electoral test since he became the UK’s third leader in the space of a few chaotic weeks last year.

In the depths of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the local council elections across England will shed light on the main parties’ standing ahead of a UK-wide general election expected next year.

Sunak conceded that his Tory party faced a “hard” trial with voters, after it ditched Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss in quick succession last year.

“Good councillors will lose their seats because of all that has happened over the past year,” he said at a think-tank event late Wednesday, according to the Daily Telegraph.

“I’ve only been prime minister for six months but I do believe we’re making good progress,” Sunak added.

Voting stations opened at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) for more than 8,000 council seats across 230 English districts, and will close at 10:00 pm (2100 GMT).

Most results should be clear by late today -- just as Britain gears up for Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III.

In national polls, the opposition Labour party has built a double-digit lead over the Conservatives, and is portraying the municipal elections as a referendum on “13 years of Tory failure”.

Surveys suggest that voters are deeply worried about double-digit inflation and the crisis engulfing the state-run National Health Service, as doctors and nurses strike for better pay.