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Live: Labour and Ukip suffer as Tories make big gains

Votes are being counted for local elections in parts of England and the whole of Scotland and Wales.

A total of 4,851 seats in 88 councils are up for grabs. Six devolved regions have also been selecting mayors for the first time.

  • Early results gave Theresa May a major boost, with the Conservatives picking up more than 550 councillors and gaining control of 11 authorities.
  • Labour forfeited more than 300 council seats but lost control of Glasgow and suffered reverses in Welsh strongholds
  • Conservative Ben Houchen became the first elected mayor of Tees Valley, a Labour north-east heartland, while Conservative Andy Street became the first West Midlands metropolitan mayor, beating Labour's Sion Simon
  • Former Labour cabinet minister Andy Burnham won the mayoral contest in Greater Manchester
  • The Liberal Democrats failed to break through against the Tories in south-west England but have made advances in some General Election target seats like Eastleigh and Wells
  • Ukip shed 63 seats, picking up a solitary councillor in Lancashire
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Fallon: Early results 'encouraging' for Conservatives

Sir Michael Fallon said early results from the local elections were "encouraging" as he insisted the Conservative Party was "not being complacent".

The Defence Secretary told ITV's Good Morning Britain that gains in the local elections "doesn't forecast what is going to happen (in the General Election) on 8th June".

"We've got to work for every single vote, we've got to get out there and explain why we need this larger working majority for Theresa May in her (Brexit) negotiations," he said.

"The reason we're not crowing is because there's nothing yet really to crow about. Only a quarter of the votes have been counted and the turnout is only half what you get in a General Election. So it is far too early to predict even from last night what is going to happen by the end of today."

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