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Labour has hailed a “seismic” by-election win in Blackpool South, with Rishi Sunak facing a brutal series of local election losses overnight.
Sir Keir Starmer said Labour’s win, in the contest to replace ousted Tory MP Scott Benton, was “truly historic” and the “most important result” nationally.
Britain’s top polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said there will be “no solace” for the PM today as Reform UK pushed the Tories into third place in a series of council seats.
But some Tory MPs will be comforted by the fact that Reform UK failed to upset the Conservatives in Blackpool South, finishing third by just 100 votes.
With the results of key mayoral contests yet to be declared, one Tory MP told The Independent that a move against Mr Sunak is “likely” if either West Midlands mayor Andy Street or Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen lose their jobs.
Former chancellor George Osborne said on his Political Currency podcast: “If Andy Street loses in the West Midlands, that’s pretty bad ...[but] If Ben Houchen loses it will be armageddon – because at that point, people will say, ‘We are absolutely headed now for a massive landslide defeat’.”
Key Points
- Tories hit new poll low as party faces election ‘armageddon’
- Labour holds Sunderland council, Reform UK outperforming the Tories
- Voting finishes in council and mayoral elections
- Elections in 107 local authorities
- Tees Valley and West Midlands mayor contests on a knife edge
- Worst Tory performance in 40 years, professor says
Key results so far
Counting is under way in the 107 councils in England that held elections on Thursday, with the first results declared overnight and more to come later on Friday.
Early results for the police & crime commissioner elections across England and Wales have also been declared, while results are due on Friday afternoon for the mayors in the East Midlands, North East, Tees Valley and York & North Yorkshire.
There was also a byelection in Blackpool South - which saw Labour take the seat from the Conservatives with 58.9 per cent of the vote share.
Labour’s candidate Chris Webb received 10,825 votes, with the Tories trailing far behind with just 3,218 and Reform behind with just 3,218.
Here are some of the key results so far:
Hartlepool
The Labour Party won control of the council for the first time since 2019 thanks to a net gain of seven seats, while the Tories lost six.
Harlow
While Labour did make progress in Harlow in Thursday’s council elections, it fell short of an overall majority by the narrowest of margins, ending up with 16 seats, just one behind the Tories on 17.
Rushmoor
The party gained seven seats and a majority on Rushmoor council, an area that includes the army town of Aldershot, while the Tories lost eight seats and overall control.
Redditch
Labour will be pleased with its performance in the Worcestershire council of Redditch - another important battleground at the general election - where the party picked up nine seats and overall control, while the Conservatives saw their tally drop by 11.
South Tyneside
It was a less cheery picture for Labour in South Tyneside, where the party suffered a net loss of 10 seats. Independent candidates gained nine seats and the Greens gained two, while the Tories lost their only councillor.
Labour still has a majority here, but only just: the new council will have 28 Labour councillors, 15 Independents and 11 Greens.
Sunderland
The Reform Party had a full or near-full slate of candidates in only a handful of councils holding elections this year and Sunderland was one of a few places where it fought every seat.
While the party did not win any of them, it did beat the Conservatives into third place in 16 of the 25 seats up for grabs while Labour made a net gain of six to increase its comfortable majority.
Thurrock
This Essex council was another one of Labour’s top targets in a key Conservative-Labour election battleground.
The party needed to gain six seats to take control of Thurrock, which has been run by the Tories for the past few years during a period of turbulence that saw the council declared effectively bankrupt in December 2022.
Labour ended up making a net gain of eight seats, enough for a clear majority, with Independents picking up two and the Tories suffering a net loss of 10.
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:28 1714716146Local election results: Ask John Rentoul anything as public opinion is tested ahead of general election
Local election results: Ask John Rentoul anything
The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul is here to answer all your questions
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 07:02 1714715809Labour holds Southampton
Labour has held Southampton City Council.
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:56 1714715276How many councils won and lost?
Good morning. So far, 35 out of 107 councils have declared results.
Labour has won 3 councils, with an increase of 52 councillors overall.
The Conservatives have lost 3 councils and 121 councillors across the country.
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:47 1714714891Worst Tory performance in 40 years, professor says
A leading politics professor has said this year’s local elections could be the worst Conservative performance in nearly 40 years.
Professor John Curtice, of the University of Strathclyde, told the BBC: “I think we’re probably looking at one of the worst if not the worst Conservative performances in local government elections in the last 40 years.
“There’s much more to come, but I think we have to conclude that the message from the polls is the Conservative party has not been making significant progress.”
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:41 1714714608Labour has lost control of Oldham
Labour has lost control of Oldham after losing seats to Independents.
With two seats still to declare, the party was unable to reach the threshold of 31 for a majority on the council.
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:36 1714713018Portsmouth remains under no overall control
Portsmouth remains under no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats still the biggest party.
Alexander Butler3 May 2024 06:10 1714712635Labour is mocking the Tories over its by-election ‘swings’
Labour has taken to social media to mock the Tories over the crushing defeats Rishi Sunak has faced in a series of recent by-elections.
It pointed to four 20-plus point swings to Labour from the Conservatives in Blackpool South last night, Wellingborough, Tamworth, and Selby and Ainsty.
Alongside a picture of a miniature Mr Sunak standing on a swing, it said: “This is a a big swing.”
But, posting the results of the four by-elections, it added: “These were bigger.”
Archie Mitchell3 May 2024 06:03 1714710662Lib Dems boosted by overnight gains
A Lib Dem source said: “We are buoyed by our gains overnight that set us up to take seats off the Conservatives at the next election.
“We have made new inroads in true blue councils in Hampshire including in Suella Braverman’s backyard, gained ground in Stockport and topped the popular vote in battleground constituencies across the country.
“This is just a taster of what is to come throughout Friday in the Blue Wall.”
Archie Mitchell3 May 2024 05:31 1714708940Chris Webb: ‘Rishi Sunak, admit you have failed and call an election.'
After a stunning by-election win, Labour’s new MP for Blackpool South Chris Webb said: "People no longer trust the Conservatives. Prime minister: do the decent thing, admit you've failed and call a general election."
Archie Mitchell3 May 2024 05:02 Newer1 / 6OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
