Labour wins Blackpool South byelection as Reform UK gives Conservatives scare; Tories suffer heavy losses in council elections – live | Local elections 2024
What happened at night?
Here’s the update for anyone just catching up with the overnight results.
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The Conservatives they are already suffering heavy losses in the municipal council elections. According to the BBC count, they have already lost over 100 seats. Within the last hour Prof. Sir John Curtis, the BBC’s election specialist, told the Today program that the Conservatives were “essentially losing half the seats they are trying to defend”. He said if this continues, they could lose around 500 seats. He said the party appeared to be heading for “one of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances in local elections in 40 years”.
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Labor gained control of four councils: Rushmoor and Redditch, both from the Conservatives; and Hartlepool and Thurrock, both without overall control. The Conservatives lost control of three councils. Full results are available here.
But most councils are yet to declare. Only 34 of the 107 councils for which elections are held have been announced. And there are still no results from the metro mayor elections.
Here’s a guide to when additional results will arrive.
Key events
Tory leader Richard Holden says results ‘not good’ but ‘no doubt’ Sunak will lead party into general election
Richard Holden, the leader of the Conservative Party, said that although these results were not good for the Tories, there was no chance of Rishi Sunak is replaced.
Asked if Sunak could survive the election losses, Holden told Times Radio:
The Prime Minister will go on and lead the Conservative Party into the General Election, of that there is no doubt.
Asked for his response to the results so far, Holden said:
Not a great set of results, but that being said, I think it would be fair to say a very high watermark in 2021.
The Conservative Party has nothing to be positive about this morning, but reminds journalists this morning that Labor failed to take control of Harlow council in Essex, despite it being Labour’s target. (Look 5.32 am.) Keir Starmer told Sky News Labor must win “in places like Harlow”, the Tories say. “While this is a difficult night for the Conservative Party, it is clear that there is absolutely no love for Keir Starmer,” a Tory source said.
The Tories took part in the local elections with 21 of the council seats and Labor held the remaining 12. All seats were up for election. The Tories now have 17 seats and Labor 16.
Starmer and Angela Rayner visited the city on Wednesday.
The Liberal Democrats retained control of Winchester after winning eight of the first 10 places to be announced, reports PA.
Aruj Shah, the Labor leader of Oldham council, rejected suggestions that Keir Starmer’s response to the Israel-Gaza war was to blame for the party losing control of the council. (Look 6.44 am.) When this was brought up in an interview on the Today programme, she replied:
I don’t think that’s a fair statement given that the Gaza issue is from the last year, but what we’ve seen in Oldham is much longer than that… what we’ve had is 13 years of strict savings and it’s been really, really hard.
Shah said there had been “divisive, toxic politics” in Oldham for the past five years and that the town’s problems were ultimately down to Tory austerity.
Labor lost control of Oldham Council at the election but still remains the largest party.
Local Labor leader Aruj Shah says the conflict in Gaza is a factor, but it goes beyond that to the area’s toxic politics. #R4Today
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) May 3, 2024
The Liberal Democrats repeat their call for early general elections. Commenting on the results so far, Daisy Cooperdeputy chairman of the party, said:
Rishi Sunak should listen to the country and call a general election immediately. Britain’s crumbling health services cannot wait any longer. Every day of hesitation and delay by this Conservative government plunges our NHS further into crisis.
The Lib Dems are on a roll with councilor recruitment across the country, from Hampshire to Stockport.
The Lib Dems’ winning streak continues and we are ready to defeat Conservative MPs and finally oust this chaotic government.
What happened at night?
Here’s the update for anyone just catching up with the overnight results.
-
The Conservatives they are already suffering heavy losses in the municipal council elections. According to the BBC count, they have already lost over 100 seats. Within the last hour Prof. Sir John Curtis, the BBC’s election specialist, told the Today program that the Conservatives were “essentially losing half the seats they are trying to defend”. He said if this continues, they could lose around 500 seats. He said the party appeared to be heading for “one of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances in local elections in 40 years”.
-
Labor gained control of four councils: Rushmoor and Redditch, both from the Conservatives; and Hartlepool and Thurrock, both without overall control. The Conservatives lost control of three councils. Full results are available here.
But most councils are yet to declare. Only 34 of the 107 councils for which elections are held have been announced. And there are still no results from the metro mayor elections.
Here’s a guide to when additional results will arrive.
Helen Peed
Stockport Town Hall will be without Conservative councilors for the second year in a row, which cannot bode well for the party’s general election re-election hopes.
Two of Stockport’s three parliamentary constituencies are currently Tory (if you count Hazel Grove, which is officially an independent after William Ragg got caught up in that sex-extortion scandal).
The Liberal Democrats will be hoping to win back both Hazel Grove and Cheadle when the big day comes, although they will be gutted to fail to take full control of the council, falling one seat short of a majority. They will probably continue to run a minority administration with the help of various independent and hyper local parties. Not a great night for Labor in one of Greater Manchester’s wealthiest boroughs.
Labor loses control of Oldham council
Labor has lost control of Oldham after losing seats to independents, the PA reports. With two seats still to be claimed, the party fell short of the 31 threshold for a majority in the council.
Labor did have a small majority in Oldham councils (31 seats out of 60). But it lost council seats in the last election and it is an area with a large Muslim population where Labor may have lost support because of its stance on Gaza.
These are from Rob Fordpolitics professor and election expert, on the significance of Labour’s by-election victory in Blackpool south.
26 point Con to Lab swing at Blackpool South – third biggest swing ever. Reform UK’s 16.9% is the best they’ve achieved in a by-election, *but* it’s less than what UKIP managed in the 2015 general election in the same seat – and miles below that, which UKIP used to get regularly…
— Rob Ford (@robfordmancs) May 3, 2024
26 point Con to Lab swing at Blackpool South – third biggest swing ever. Reform UK’s 16.9% is the best they’ve achieved in a by-election *but* less than what UKIP achieved in the 2015 general election in the same seat – and miles below what UKIP regularly got in the 2013 -15 midterm elections
Tony Blair hit four 20-point plus conversions from the Cons when he was Leader of the Opposition – Starmer has now hit five – including four of the top 5 biggest ever, all achieved in the last year pic.twitter.com/srMA4OZRyP
— Rob Ford (@robfordmancs) May 3, 2024
Tony Blair hit four 20-plus changes from the Cons when he was Leader of the Opposition – Starmer has now hit five – including four of the top 5 biggest ever, all achieved in the last year
20 points plus lab changes:
Starmer 5
Blair 4
Cinema 1
Labor retained control of Lincoln after winning three seats, leaving the party with 23 of the 33 council seats, PA Media reports. The Conservatives lost four seats, with Liberal Democrats win one and both parties now have five councillors.
