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| Labour holds ground in England but suffers in Scottish elections | Labour holds ground in England but suffers in Scottish elections |
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| Jeremy Corbyn has defied his critics after Labour appeared to hold its ground in the English council elections, despite suffering a bruising night in Scotland and a setback in Wales. | Jeremy Corbyn has defied his critics after Labour appeared to hold its ground in the English council elections, despite suffering a bruising night in Scotland and a setback in Wales. |
| The Labour leader is preparing to say that the party had a “good night” in England and held its own in Wales when he addresses activists on the steps of the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. | |
| Related: UK elections 2016: Labour face being beaten into third place in Scotland – live updates | Related: UK elections 2016: Labour face being beaten into third place in Scotland – live updates |
| Following a night of mixed results, Corbyn faced calls from MPs to take responsibility for allowing Labour to finish third behind the Conservatives in Scotland and failing to make progress in England. However, the results are unlikely to have given enough ammunition to his critics for them to mount a leadership coup at this point. | |
| The Labour leader will acknowledge that his party had a poor result in Scotland, where he will pledge to work “hand in hand” with the local party to win back support. | |
| Corbyn will speak outside the venue for the count of the Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough byelection, which was won by Gill Furniss, the wife of the former Labour MP who died recently.He will claim that the swing towards Labour in that byelection and another in Wales are positive signs for his leadership, and will highlight results in councils in Newcastle, Sunderland, Carlisle, Plymouth, Exeter and Crawley.Corbyn will claim that the results reflect the work Labour has done around the crisis in the steel industry, protecting the NHS and forced academisation of schools. | |
| But other MPs inside the party claim that the results have been poor, including in England, with some saying anything less than 400 seat gains shows Labour is not on track for a 2020 majority. | |
| Tom Watson, the deputy leader, said it would be a “long journey back” for Labour in Scotland but he stressed Corbyn’s mandate and argued that he needed more time to prove himself as leader. | Tom Watson, the deputy leader, said it would be a “long journey back” for Labour in Scotland but he stressed Corbyn’s mandate and argued that he needed more time to prove himself as leader. |
| “Even our opponents would say that after eight months it would be very unfair and improper to hang this set of election results on Jeremy Corbyn’s peg alone,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “After only eight months people would say he needs more time to show the direction Labour needs to take to win that 2020 general election.” | “Even our opponents would say that after eight months it would be very unfair and improper to hang this set of election results on Jeremy Corbyn’s peg alone,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “After only eight months people would say he needs more time to show the direction Labour needs to take to win that 2020 general election.” |
| Labour suffered a woeful performance in Scotland, losing 13 assembly seats and finishing third in terms of both vote-share and seats behind a resurgent Scottish Conservative party led by Ruth Davidson. | Labour suffered a woeful performance in Scotland, losing 13 assembly seats and finishing third in terms of both vote-share and seats behind a resurgent Scottish Conservative party led by Ruth Davidson. |
| The SNP won its third Holyrood election victory but fell just short of a majority, as many had predicted, partly because of the Tories making gains in surprising areas. The Liberal Democrats also took two constituency seats off the governing party. | The SNP won its third Holyrood election victory but fell just short of a majority, as many had predicted, partly because of the Tories making gains in surprising areas. The Liberal Democrats also took two constituency seats off the governing party. |
| In Wales, Labour looks set to remain the largest party but will be forced into running a minority administration after losing a seat on the assembly, while Plaid Cymru and Ukip celebrated advances. The biggest scalp was the Labour minister Leighton Andrews, who was defeated by the Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, but the Conservatives were also likely to go backwards. Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, described it as a “breakthrough night” for his party, which took up to seven Welsh assembly seats after standing candidates for the first time. | In Wales, Labour looks set to remain the largest party but will be forced into running a minority administration after losing a seat on the assembly, while Plaid Cymru and Ukip celebrated advances. The biggest scalp was the Labour minister Leighton Andrews, who was defeated by the Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, but the Conservatives were also likely to go backwards. Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, described it as a “breakthrough night” for his party, which took up to seven Welsh assembly seats after standing candidates for the first time. |
| Despite the disastrous results in Scotland, Labour’s share of the vote in English local elections was expected to be up on last year and it held a number of key swing councils, including Crawley, Harlow, Southampton, Nuneaton and Redditch. The party’s only council loss so far has been Dudley, which fell to no overall control. It was mostly a night of stasis in England, with few seats changing hands between the mainstream parties and no real progress for Ukip. | Despite the disastrous results in Scotland, Labour’s share of the vote in English local elections was expected to be up on last year and it held a number of key swing councils, including Crawley, Harlow, Southampton, Nuneaton and Redditch. The party’s only council loss so far has been Dudley, which fell to no overall control. It was mostly a night of stasis in England, with few seats changing hands between the mainstream parties and no real progress for Ukip. |
| Allies of Corbyn are expected to seize on Labour gaining a higher share of the national vote than in 2015, and the likely win for Sadiq Khan as London mayor, as evidence the party is making progress under his leadership. Joe Anderson also held his job as Liverpool mayor as predicted. | Allies of Corbyn are expected to seize on Labour gaining a higher share of the national vote than in 2015, and the likely win for Sadiq Khan as London mayor, as evidence the party is making progress under his leadership. Joe Anderson also held his job as Liverpool mayor as predicted. |
| Some critics had predicted the party would lose key bellwether councils in the south of England and hundreds of council seats. However, at 9am, with about two-thirds of councils declared, the results showed Labour had lost only 24 seats. | Some critics had predicted the party would lose key bellwether councils in the south of England and hundreds of council seats. However, at 9am, with about two-thirds of councils declared, the results showed Labour had lost only 24 seats. |
| The Conservatives will claim a strong night, having helped break an SNP majority and leap-frogging Labour into second place in Scotland to become the official opposition. But party insiders admitted there was disappointment at the party’s performance in southern England where there had been widespread expectation of hefty gains following a week of crisis for Labour. | The Conservatives will claim a strong night, having helped break an SNP majority and leap-frogging Labour into second place in Scotland to become the official opposition. But party insiders admitted there was disappointment at the party’s performance in southern England where there had been widespread expectation of hefty gains following a week of crisis for Labour. |
| The party’s share of the vote is likely to be down on last year in a possible sign its own loyal voters have been turned off by David Cameron’s enthusiastic endorsement of the remain campaign for the forthcoming EU referendum. | The party’s share of the vote is likely to be down on last year in a possible sign its own loyal voters have been turned off by David Cameron’s enthusiastic endorsement of the remain campaign for the forthcoming EU referendum. |
| Ukip achieved historic wins in the Welsh assembly, and made progress in England. Yougov’s Marcus Roberts said: “Ukip’s vote share continues to rise at a cost to Labour in the party’s traditional working-class heartlands. The inflection point has not yet been reached where this vote loss translates into large-scale seat losses, but the direction of travel is as clear as it is worrying for Labour,” he said. | Ukip achieved historic wins in the Welsh assembly, and made progress in England. Yougov’s Marcus Roberts said: “Ukip’s vote share continues to rise at a cost to Labour in the party’s traditional working-class heartlands. The inflection point has not yet been reached where this vote loss translates into large-scale seat losses, but the direction of travel is as clear as it is worrying for Labour,” he said. |
| Despite Labour not doing as badly as expected, some MPs were still critical of their party’s failure to make any real advances. | Despite Labour not doing as badly as expected, some MPs were still critical of their party’s failure to make any real advances. |
| Jo Cox, the MP for Batley and Spen, said: “I think at this stage we should have been making far more advances than over the night we’ve seen. This is not a route back to power in 2020 for the Labour party so I think this has been an incredibly disappointing night. Jeremy and the leadership need to take responsibility for what’s been a poor night for us. I think we need some decisive leadership from Jeremy.” | Jo Cox, the MP for Batley and Spen, said: “I think at this stage we should have been making far more advances than over the night we’ve seen. This is not a route back to power in 2020 for the Labour party so I think this has been an incredibly disappointing night. Jeremy and the leadership need to take responsibility for what’s been a poor night for us. I think we need some decisive leadership from Jeremy.” |
| However, she made clear that now was not the time for a challenge to Corbyn. That judgment was echoed by John Mann, who has clashed with the leadership. “It ain’t going to happen,” he said, when asked about the prospect of a coup. | However, she made clear that now was not the time for a challenge to Corbyn. That judgment was echoed by John Mann, who has clashed with the leadership. “It ain’t going to happen,” he said, when asked about the prospect of a coup. |
| Related: Jeremy Corbyn allays coup fears after mixed election night for Labour | Related: Jeremy Corbyn allays coup fears after mixed election night for Labour |
| Peter Hain, the Labour former cabinet minister, said: “Frankly for us to be on course and confident of winning the next election we should be gaining seats … instead of losing them … The trends this evening are patchy, but not showing the kind of momentum you would have expected.” | Peter Hain, the Labour former cabinet minister, said: “Frankly for us to be on course and confident of winning the next election we should be gaining seats … instead of losing them … The trends this evening are patchy, but not showing the kind of momentum you would have expected.” |
| Emma Reynolds, a former shadow cabinet minister under Ed Miliband, said Labour needed to do more than preach to the converted. “Jeremy needs to set out more clearly his vision for the country, but also how he is going to reach out to those voters who we have lost to the Tories and Ukip and SNP,” she said. “I simply don’t think the results we have seen have been good enough to suggest that we are en route to get back into power and get rid of this wretched Tory government.” | Emma Reynolds, a former shadow cabinet minister under Ed Miliband, said Labour needed to do more than preach to the converted. “Jeremy needs to set out more clearly his vision for the country, but also how he is going to reach out to those voters who we have lost to the Tories and Ukip and SNP,” she said. “I simply don’t think the results we have seen have been good enough to suggest that we are en route to get back into power and get rid of this wretched Tory government.” |
| Historically, opposition parties tend to pick up seats in mid-term local elections, and Corbyn’s critics had repeatedly said he should be aiming to gain several hundred council seats. However, his supporters will point to the party’s increased share of the vote on last year. | Historically, opposition parties tend to pick up seats in mid-term local elections, and Corbyn’s critics had repeatedly said he should be aiming to gain several hundred council seats. However, his supporters will point to the party’s increased share of the vote on last year. |
| The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, speaking after the polls closed at 10pm on Thursday, said: “Labour has fought a strong campaign, working hard for every vote, standing up for working people who have been let down by the Tory party.” | The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, speaking after the polls closed at 10pm on Thursday, said: “Labour has fought a strong campaign, working hard for every vote, standing up for working people who have been let down by the Tory party.” |
| He stressed that Labour’s key target was to cut the Conservatives’ lead in the national share of the vote. “If we can narrow that gap, we will demonstrate steady progress,” he said. “What we are looking to do is build over the next four years so that we steadily, steadily build our support and then we are ready for 2020.” | He stressed that Labour’s key target was to cut the Conservatives’ lead in the national share of the vote. “If we can narrow that gap, we will demonstrate steady progress,” he said. “What we are looking to do is build over the next four years so that we steadily, steadily build our support and then we are ready for 2020.” |
| Khan is widely expected to win the London mayoral race after a bitter campaign in which the Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith, suggested he was a “radical”. | Khan is widely expected to win the London mayoral race after a bitter campaign in which the Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith, suggested he was a “radical”. |
| Khan had sought to distance himself from Corbyn during the campaign, including criticising his failure to “get a grip” on antisemitism. | Khan had sought to distance himself from Corbyn during the campaign, including criticising his failure to “get a grip” on antisemitism. |
| But the shadow international development secretary, Diane Abbott, a key ally of Corbyn, told the Guardian that in the capital “more people have heard of Jeremy than have heard of Sadiq. In London, it’s all about Jeremy.” | But the shadow international development secretary, Diane Abbott, a key ally of Corbyn, told the Guardian that in the capital “more people have heard of Jeremy than have heard of Sadiq. In London, it’s all about Jeremy.” |
| There were signs on Thursday night, even among Corbyn’s core frontbench supporters, of growing disquiet about his style of leadership, and whether his team had the right skills to manage the party. | There were signs on Thursday night, even among Corbyn’s core frontbench supporters, of growing disquiet about his style of leadership, and whether his team had the right skills to manage the party. |
| The Labour former health secretary Andy Burnham confirmed he was considering standing as the mayor of Greater Manchester when elections are held next year as a battery of new powers are devolved to the city as part of George Osborne’s “northern powerhouse”. | The Labour former health secretary Andy Burnham confirmed he was considering standing as the mayor of Greater Manchester when elections are held next year as a battery of new powers are devolved to the city as part of George Osborne’s “northern powerhouse”. |
| Burnham’s allies insisted he would remain in the shadow cabinet and continue to serve Corbyn for the time being, but the news will underline fears that Labour’s big beasts with governing experience could decide to leave Westminster rather than wait for the party to win back power. | Burnham’s allies insisted he would remain in the shadow cabinet and continue to serve Corbyn for the time being, but the news will underline fears that Labour’s big beasts with governing experience could decide to leave Westminster rather than wait for the party to win back power. |
| There were also two byelections in safe Labour seats: Ogmore in Wales, where Huw Irranca-Davies stepped down to contest a Welsh assembly seat, and Sheffield Brightside. Several other cities, including Salford, will elect mayors, and 41 police and crime commissioners will be selected. | |
| Labour insiders will be picking over the results for evidence of whether Corbyn’s anti-austerity message is helping the party to make progress towards a general election victory in 2020. | Labour insiders will be picking over the results for evidence of whether Corbyn’s anti-austerity message is helping the party to make progress towards a general election victory in 2020. |
| Shadow ministerial sources said there was very little chance of a coup against Corbyn until after the EU referendum poll on 23 June. One said Dan Jarvis and Angela Eagle both appeared to be “organising hard” and people associated with them were having “hypothetical conversations” with MPs about support if they were to challenge Corbyn. | Shadow ministerial sources said there was very little chance of a coup against Corbyn until after the EU referendum poll on 23 June. One said Dan Jarvis and Angela Eagle both appeared to be “organising hard” and people associated with them were having “hypothetical conversations” with MPs about support if they were to challenge Corbyn. |