Local elections will act as a "referendum" on Boris Johnson's leadership
Dr Sam Power's comments come as people across Sussex prepare to head to the polls tomorrow
This year's local elections will act as a "referendum" on Boris Johnson's leadership, according to a politics expert at the University of Sussex.
Dr Sam Power's comments come ahead of polls opening tomorrow (5th of May) in Adur, Crawley, Hastings, and Worthing with a by-election also being held in Brighton and Hove.
He said: "A bad set of results in these local elections could cause real problems for Boris Johnson, especially with two by-elections coming up. If those also go badly for Boris Johnson then we might expect a challenge to his leadership.
"It's all to do with Boris Johnson, party-gate, and how well his standing in the public is. If the Conservatives do particularly poorly then we can expect voices to rise."
Dr Power also said it's important the country doesn't get carried away or read too much into the results of the local elections, as historically they don't always tell the full picture.
He continued: "These local elections relate to the local elections in 2018. Those elections went very well for the Labour party in 2018, cut to 2019 and the Labour party got an almighty thumping in the general election".
Polls open across the country at 7am tomorrow.