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Local election results: Labour celebrates West Midlands mayor win - BBC News Local election results: Labour celebrates West Midlands mayor win - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Hannah Miller Labour marches on - The party gained more than 180 council seats to take control of eight councils, including Milton Keynes and Nuneaton, where there are traditional bellwether seats for general elections.
Political correspondent Tories in the doldrums - The party has lost over 470 councillors, just under half of the seats it was defending. The PM is clinging to Tees Valley, where incumbent Tory Ben Houchen won a third term as regional mayor, as evidence the Tories are still in with a chance at the general election.
To some extent, these results tell us what we already knew: The Conservatives are way behind Labour in the coming battle for who gets into No 10. Red dawn for mayors - Labour won a trio of newly-created regional mayor roles, continuing its recent successes in this area in recent years. Labour's Sadiq Khan won a third term as London mayor and Richard Parker defeated Andy Street in the West Midlands by the narrow margin of just 1,508 votes.
Despite the psychological damage of the West Midlands result last night, there is no appetite among Conservative MPs to get rid of Rishi Sunak - but it is very difficult to see what the government does next that is suddenly going to make a difference. Gaza stance affecting Labour vote - Labour has suffered some heavy losses in wards with a large number of Muslim voters, in a sign its stance on the war in Gaza is affecting its vote in those areas.
The Tories use this language about needing to be seen to deliver. That's what their one and only successful mayoral candidate, Ben Houchen in Tees Valley, was saying after his win. Greens and Lib Dems make gains - It was a good night for smaller parties, with the Lib Dems and Greens winning council seats in areas they will be targeting at the general election.
Some will say the Tories have had 14 years to deliver, and it is very difficult to see what will change their minds now. Mixed bag for Reform UK - Nigel Farage and Richard Tice's party won 16.9% of the vote in Blackpool South, coming third, only 117 votes behind the Tory candidate. However, the party has only won two council seats so far, both in Havant, near Portsmouth.
Labour are hugely emboldened by this weekend - and while these are local elections, they do to some extent show many more voters are comfortable voting for the party. Read more here
Sir Keir Starmer will be looking ahead at the next general election feeling a lot more confident than the prime minister.
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