Rishi Sunak and Tories seem to have yet more low expectations for byelection fortunes

Leaked memo suggests party's votes could halve to 30% in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire

In the world of expectation management, a leaked" memo can be a useful tool for a political party on the eve of a tricky byelection. So the publication of an internal report prepared for the Conservative party chair, Greg Hands, was initially met with some scepticism.

The document, based on telephone canvassing data from recent days, claimed the Tory vote in Thursday's two byelections in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire could halve to about 30%, creating more problems for Rishi Sunak.