Disastrous local elections for Tories as Starmer 'on course' to become PM
ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston brings us the latest on the local elections
Words by Lewis Denison, ITV News Westminster Producer
The Tories have so far suffered disastrous results in the local elections, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer now predicted to become the next prime minister.
Rishi Sunak's first electoral test as prime minister has not gone well so far, with the Conservatives expected to realise their "worst fears" of losing over 1,000 seats.
The full picture may not be known until Saturday as councils race to count the votes, but even at this early stage, it is clear the party of government is "some way behind Labour", said ITV's Elections Analyst Colin Rallings.
The count will not finish until late Saturday morning, due to the Redcar and Cleveland constituency needing a third recount. This will kick off at 10am tomorrow.
Mr Sunak has claimed the Conservatives are "actually making progress" in areas of the Midlands but their relatively few wins have also been dwarfed by Liberal Democrat gains.
'I’m not detecting any massive ground swell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for their agenda'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his party were "exceeding all expectations" at the election and had "delivered a hammer blow" to the Tories.
He added: "My message to my party is: 'A great night for us, but let's go back and work even harder so we can beat the Conservatives at the next general election'."
With the majority of authorities having declared, the Conservatives had lost 48 local authorities and more than 1,000 councillors.
ITV News' Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana explains what the results so far might mean in a general election
Sir Keir's party was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls, as the Tories slid backwards.
Speaking to supporters in Medway, where Labour gained the council from the Tories, Sir Keir said: "Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election."
"You didn't just get it over the line, you blew the doors off," he told supporters to cheers.
"And we're having fantastic results across the country," Sir Keir added, citing victories in Plymouth, Stoke and Middlesbrough.
But elections expert Mr Rallings has told ITV News the Labour leader still has a "mountain to climb" if he wants to win a majority at the next general election.
If these results were translated to a national poll, Mr Rallings says Sir Keir would "very likely be the prime minister by way of becoming the leader of the largest party in Parliament".
But he was not confident that he is on course to win an overall majority and suggested the local election results show "Labour need to do better still, I think, to guarantee that they can actually form a government of their own".
ITV News Elections Analyst Colin Rallings on Keir Starmer's chances of becoming PM:
ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston also said the results did not yet present a clear path to Number 10 for Labour.
He wrote that "results so far are inconclusive about whether Labour and Sir Keir Starmer can realistically hope and plan for a very substantial majority at the next general election".
There was also progress for the Greens, which took control of its first local authority, toppling a minority Conservative administration in Mid Suffolk.
The national picture with results from 228 of the 230 councils where elections were held:
The Tories have lost 48 councils and suffered a net loss of 1,060 councillors.
Labour has gained control of 22 councils and added 532 councillors.
The Liberal Democrats have gained 12 councils and 409 councillors.
The Green Party has gained 241 councillors and took overall control of its first UK authority
Key results declared so far:
North East Derbyshire
Labour took control of North East Derbyshire District Council from the Conservatives.
The new council has 28 Labour councillors, 19 Conservative councillors, three Lib Dems, two independents and one Green.
One of the Conservatives to lose her seat was Angelique Foster, the Tory representative for Dronfield South and the Derbyshire police and crime commissioner, who was defeated by six votes.
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.
The elections were described as a “dark day for British democracy” by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people were denied their right to vote.
The contests were the first to be held under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID and the elections watchdog said some people were turned away from polling stations.
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 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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