Local elections 2023: Votes are counted as Tories suffer losses in England

A full picture of the local election results is expected to become clearer throughout Friday, as ITV News' Libby Wiener reports

Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party has suffered major losses in his first electoral test as prime minister, with Labour claiming the early results suggest Sir Keir Starmer will be able to replace him in No 10.

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats also made gains as the Tories lost control of a series of councils across England.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said "regrettably" some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

More than 8,000 council seats were up for election on Thursday across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

Around a quarter of the votes were counted overnight, with the rest tallied during the day on Friday.

Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, Mr Sunak defended the early election results, insisting he was not "detecting any massive ground swell of movement towards the Labour Party".

"Well if you look at the result we've only had a quarter of the results in, so it's hard to draw firm conclusions," he said.

"We're actually making progress in key election battlegrounds, like Peterborough, like Sandwell, like Bassetlaw for example."

But Labour was elated with its early results, claiming local wins would have translated to general election victories in Hartlepool, Stevenage, Dudley South, Ipswich, West Bromwich East, Great Grimsby and Aldershot.

'I’m not detecting any massive ground swell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for their agenda'

Leader Sir Keir told supporters the results mean he's likely to be the next prime minister.

"Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election."

"What we've shown together is that we can make change. We've changed our party. We've won the trust, the confidence, of voters, and now we can go on to change our country.

"Change is possible. A better Britain is possible."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed said his party were "exceeding all expectations" at the election and had "delivered a hammer blow" to the Tories.

A Lib Dem spokesman said it is a "massive blow to Rishi Sunak" and "Conservative MPs across the blue wall will be looking over their shoulder at the Lib Dems this morning".

Sir Ed added "the time's up for Rishi Sunak and his appalling Conservative government" after declaring his party the "big winners" in the local elections.

The Liberal Democrats leader also claimed a general election could be held within the next 12 months.

Key results declared so far:

East Staffordshire

Labour has claimed victory in East Staffordshire, saying the "hugely significant" win from the Tories proves it is on course for a majority at the next general election.

A party spokeswoman said: "We have been going backwards in Staffordshire in recent general elections. With this gain and our win in Stoke, we are making real progress in the places we need to win the next election."

Windsor and Maidenhead

The Conservatives lost control of Windsor and Maidenhead council for the first time in 16 years, after the Liberal Democrats made gains in the royal borough. With 17 of the 41 seats still to declare, the Tories held only three seats, with the Lib Dems on 13 and independents on eight.

Plymouth

Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration. The party needed five gains to take overall control of the council and managed to make six when all votes had been counted.

Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke was a key Labour target in what will be one of the main battlegrounds at the next general election. Labour gained a hefty 17 seats on the council, while the Conservatives lost eight and independents lost nine.

Medway

Sir Keir's party took Medway off the Tories and will run the Kent council for the first time since 1998. The shock result - at the heart of the so-called "blue wall" - saw the Conservatives fail to meet the threshold to form an authority, with Labour now holding a majority of the 59 available seats.

Worcester

Worcester has remained in no overall control, but the result shows the Conservatives - who were the largest party - faced a challenge from all sides. They lost a total of seven seats while the Greens gained four, the Lib Dems two and Labour one.

Tamworth

Labour made seven gains in Tamworth while the Tories lost five. The result was enough to deprive Mr Sunak's party of full control of the council and although they remain the largest party with 14 seats, Labour is now close behind on ten while independents have six.

Hull

Labour's attempts to regain the council from the Lib Dems failed, with Sir Ed Davey's party tightening its grip on the authority. Sir Ed hailed the result along with others for the Lib Dems as part of a "groundbreaking night" for his party.

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Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term "blip", but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

They have sought to manage expectations by pointing to forecasts which suggest they could lose more than 1,000 seats if things go badly.

The Tories will seek to portray any defeat below that scale as better than expected – although the loss of hundreds of councillors will not help morale within the Conservative ranks.

Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer Mercer told the BBC the Plymouth result was "terrible" for the Conservative Party and was due to local factors.

But he insisted that the prime minister was "the sort of strong leader this country needs at this time".

The council's decision to fell dozens of trees in the city centre contributed to the loss of Tory support.

Sir Keir's party expects to have its best local election results since 1997, with an equivalent vote share lead of at least 8% over the Tories, something which could result in a majority Labour government if repeated at a general election.

Labour claimed that, based on the aggregate vote, the party would have won the constituencies of Hartlepool, Stevenage, Dudley South, Ipswich, West Bromwich East, Great Grimsby and Aldershot, which has been held by the Tories since its creation as a seat in 1918.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed said his party were "exceeding all expectations" at the election and had "delivered a hammer blow" to the Tories.

Meanwhile, the elections were branded a "dark day for British democracy" by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people had been denied their right to vote.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: "We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

"It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections."

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