Devil of a local election result for Tories makes work for idle Hands | John Crace

Shock for party chair who had previously expected everything to be all right on the night and learned not to try too hard

First manage your expectations.

When the Tory party chair, Greg Hands, announced last week that he expected the Conservatives to lose 1,000 seats in the local elections, he was being characteristically disingenuous. What he really meant was that the Tories would lose between 500 and 600 seats and he would be able to take to the airwaves and crow about his party having done far better than anyone imagined. The plucky Conservatives yet again seizing triumph from a potential disaster. And it would all be down to him and his idiotic tweets of a 13-year-old Liam Byrne gag. At least we won't be seeing them again.