Tory minister Claire Coutinho has defended Rishi Sunak’s recent poor party election results as she insisted the Conservatives have got a “very positive agenda”. The Conservative Party suffered its worst electoral defeat in years last week, losing more than half of its councillors who stood for re-election across England. The energy secretary defended the Conservative Party’s results when she appeared on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday night (8 May) and was asked if the prime minister should change his plans.