Tories fear blue wall will crumble at local elections over NHS crisis

Pressure mounts over health and economic pledges as Sunak campaigns to shore up Conservative heartlands in poll test

Read more: NHS crisis deepens as nurses plan mega strike'

A prolonged NHS crisis stoked by further strikes risks derailing Rishi Sunak's local election plans amid Tory concern that the prime minister is already facing pressure over flagship pledges on health and the economy.

The prime minister will head to the south-east this week as he attempts to shore up Tory heartland seats where traditional supporters had been put off by the chaos of the Johnson and Truss regimes. However, opposition parties have reported findings that the NHS remains the most salient issue among soft Tory voters.