Will a big defeat for the Tories in this week’s local elections force Theresa May to rethink on Brexit?

Politics Explained: Competing factions in the Conservative Party will interpret council losses for their own ends

The Conservatives are braced for a bloody nose in this week’s local government elections.

Most of the 8,400 seats on 248 councils up for grabs were last fought on the day David Cameron won an overall majority at the 2015 general election. So the Tories have more ground to lose.

Certainly the contest comes at a bad time for the Tories; their support among those who voted Leave in the 2016 referendum has slumped since the UK failed to depart the EU on schedule in March.