Hello, this is Dreadbox Podcast. I'm Matt Jorley bringing you an extra special bonus episode

on a bank holiday Monday. It's a guest episode for Ma'am Vindavan and the stories of our

time's team. With millions of voters going to the polls in local elections across England

this week, she's been looking at what's at stake with Times Red Boxer Porter,

Lara Spirit and the veteran pollster Peter Kelner. I'll be back tomorrow with a normal episode

of the podcast, but in the meantime, here it is.

These elections really really matter and we've got to go out and we've got to win them.

I'm a conservative, I want to cut your taxes. Of course I do, right? That's what I want to deliver.

I wish I could do that tomorrow quite frankly.

The result will be the most significant test of public opinion

before Rishi Sunak faces Keir Starmer at a general election. In the run-up to the vote,

both are going on a particular kind of attack. He attended 21 sentencing council meetings

that watered down punishment. That's why they call him sasoftee, soft on crime, soft on criminals.

Mr Speaker, I've prosecuted thousands upon thousands of sex offenders. He's just shown.

For both parties, their messaging is designed to appeal to a particular kind of voter.

Here's Starmer needs to appeal to a stevenage woman apparently.

The stevenage woman who's like an archetypal hypothetical voter to reach Downing Street,

that's what he's been told. The critical ones are stevenage women and working to man.

Behind the scenes, politicians and pollsters are desperately trying to work out who exactly

they need to win over and how they can do it without alienating their core supporters.

You're listening to stories of our times from the Times and the Sunday Times.

I'm Manvina Rana, today from working to man to stevenage woman.

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