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Local election results: Tories profit from Ukip collapse amid Labour losses | Local election results: Tories profit from Ukip collapse amid Labour losses |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Conservative party has made significant gains and Labour has suffered in the local elections for England and Wales, with Ukip facing a near total wipeout of its county council seats. | |
With just five weeks to go before a general election, Jeremy Corbyn’s party blamed “unique circumstances” for what it predicted would be a challenging set of results in Thursday’s local contests. | |
The numbers so far are ominous for Labour at the general election, with the Conservatives benefiting from the huge decline in support for Ukip. By 7am on Friday, the Tories had gained more than 100 seats in England, while Labour had lost 45. | |
Theresa May’s party gained control of at least four councils – Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and the Isle of Wight – which swung from no overall control to the Conservatives, and the party also became the largest on Cumbria council in the north-west. | |
In Wales, Tory gains were more modest at 25 seats as independents took another 41, while Labour lost 67 but remained by far the most dominant party. The Tories gained one council, Monmouthshire, while Labour had a mixed time as it lost control of Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend but strengthened its presence in Swansea. | |
The Liberal Democrats failed to make the gains they were hoping for in the south and south-west while Ukip – which has lost its presence on Lincolnshire, Essex and Hampshire councils – is yet to successfully defend a single county council seat. The Greens and Plaid Cymru were the only parties other than the Tories to gain ground, doubling their seats from five to 10 and increasing by 12 respectively. | |
Many results are yet to be declared, including Scottish councils, but there is likely to be some cheer for Labour when the party wins new metro mayors in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and potentially the tightly fought battle in the West Midlands. | |
The first metro mayoral result to be announced was for the West of England area including Bristol, Bath, north-east Somerset and south Gloucestershire, which went to the Conservative candidate Tim Bowles. | |
After polls closed, Corbyn’s team played down expectations of their party’s performance, accepting that Labour could be set to lose hundreds of council seats. | After polls closed, Corbyn’s team played down expectations of their party’s performance, accepting that Labour could be set to lose hundreds of council seats. |
Labour said there was a strong performance for the party in 2013 when these council seats were last contested, and it was confident its message would start to resonate as 8 June approached. | |
“These elections are a challenging set of contests held in unique circumstances,” a Labour spokesman said. “They’re individual contests being fought in very differing situations, from local council-level, issue-driven campaigns up to large mayoral fights with some well-known politicians.” | |
Philip Johnson, a Labour parliamentary candidate for Nuneaton who lost his Warwickshire council seat, said Corbyn’s leadership was “putting off” some voters but that was disputed by Barry Gardiner, the shadow trade secretary. He said it was a “really disappointing night” for Labour but insisted there were local reasons for some of the losses. | |
“In Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr I think it’s right to say that most of the problems we have had there – losing control where we were in control – were through the splits within the Labour party itself and the independents,” he told BBC Radio 4. | |
In total, 35 English council elections – most of them county councils – and every seat in Scotland and Wales were up for grabs. Turnout in England is predicted to have been around 35% – slightly up on the last comparable set of elections. | |
Strategists from all the major parties will be scrutinising the results closely for signs that May’s relentless message of providing “strong and stable leadership” has persuaded habitual Labour voters to defect to the Conservatives. | Strategists from all the major parties will be scrutinising the results closely for signs that May’s relentless message of providing “strong and stable leadership” has persuaded habitual Labour voters to defect to the Conservatives. |
The results so far appear to support the hypothesis that Ukip’s vote is collapsing in the Tories’ favour, as May pledges to deliver Brexit. | |
However, the Conservatives are trying to play down their good results for fear people may not bother to turn out at the general election because they assume May is on course for a landslide. Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, told the BBC: “It looks as if we have made so far some encouraging gains … but it’s very early days yet. Most of these councils, the vast majority, are still to count. We’ll have to wait and see what the final results are – and overall, of course, the turnout is much lower than you get in a general election.” | |
He denied that the Conservatives were benefiting only from Ukip’s demise, attributing some of the party’s advances to “Jeremy Corbyn’s very feeble leadership”. | |
Labour sources suggested the overall picture was complex and only the national vote share would be an indication of what may be to come in the general election. | Labour sources suggested the overall picture was complex and only the national vote share would be an indication of what may be to come in the general election. |
But losses in traditionally Labour areas where the local MP has a small majority will inevitably raise fears that the party is on course for a heavy defeat next month. | But losses in traditionally Labour areas where the local MP has a small majority will inevitably raise fears that the party is on course for a heavy defeat next month. |
Anthony Wells of pollsters YouGov pointed out that the Labour party was just three percentage points behind Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives in the 1983 local elections, but trailed by 16 points in the general election that followed just a monthlater. | Anthony Wells of pollsters YouGov pointed out that the Labour party was just three percentage points behind Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives in the 1983 local elections, but trailed by 16 points in the general election that followed just a monthlater. |
Wells said: “Don’t just assume that the projected overall shares of the vote at this week’s votes are going to be repeated in next month’s election. People vote differently for different reasons at different sorts of election.” | Wells said: “Don’t just assume that the projected overall shares of the vote at this week’s votes are going to be repeated in next month’s election. People vote differently for different reasons at different sorts of election.” |
That picture – of voters backing Labour locally but peeling away in a general election – was acknowledged by Susan Woodward, the leader of the Labour group on Staffordshire county council, where elections were held on Thursday. | That picture – of voters backing Labour locally but peeling away in a general election – was acknowledged by Susan Woodward, the leader of the Labour group on Staffordshire county council, where elections were held on Thursday. |
Woodward said she felt positive, but admitted that some voters had promised to back the party in local elections but not on 8 June. “I’m hoping that having good, strong community leaders overrides any national swings – that is what I’m hoping for me and my Labour colleagues,” she said. | Woodward said she felt positive, but admitted that some voters had promised to back the party in local elections but not on 8 June. “I’m hoping that having good, strong community leaders overrides any national swings – that is what I’m hoping for me and my Labour colleagues,” she said. |
“If people are saying, ‘I will vote Labour in locals but not in general’ – and we’ve had a sprinkling of those – the leadership have to listen and redouble their efforts. They need to show they are focusing on Labour voters’ priorities rather than their ownpriorities.” | “If people are saying, ‘I will vote Labour in locals but not in general’ – and we’ve had a sprinkling of those – the leadership have to listen and redouble their efforts. They need to show they are focusing on Labour voters’ priorities rather than their ownpriorities.” |