Boris Johnson under fire for council losses in England, as Wales begins to count votes
Wales will start counting its votes at 9am this morning, with the results likely to be bruising for the Conservatives after the party suffered setbacks across England.
After official results were declared from 62 councils, the Tories had lost control of four authorities and suffered a net loss of 97 seats, Labour had a net gain of two councils and 52 councillors, the Lib Dems had gained a council and 40 seats while the Greens had put on 19 councillors.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party strengthened its grip on London, taking the Tory authority in Wandsworth.
The loss of Wandsworth will be a significant blow because of its symbolic status in London. It turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher’s election as prime minister and was reputedly her favourite council, noted for its low taxes.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that “history has been made” with the victory.
Labour also made significant breakthroughs in the English capital in Barnet and Westminster City Hall.
Labour’s success in Barnet, which has a large Jewish population, will be seen as a sign the party has turned the corner on the anti-Semitism rows which dogged Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
Local Conservative leaders have criticised the Prime Minister, pointing to the self-inflicted ‘partygate’ scandal as the source of their woes.
John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council hit out after Labour took control of the new Cumberland authority which will replace it.
He told the BBC: “I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue.
“Basically I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the Prime Minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.”
In Portsmouth, where the Tories lost four seats, Simon Bosher the leader of the Conservative group said Mr Johnson should “take a good, strong look in the mirror” because “those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what’s been going on in Westminster”.
Ravi Govindia, leader of the Wandsworth Tories, said: “Let’s not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing.”
Before the final results were declared in Barnet, the Conservative group leader Daniel Thomas conceded defeat, saying the loss was a “warning shot” from his party’s supporters.
“Clearly if Labour are to get a majority in Parliament they need to win Barnet,” he said.
“They won the council, if they win our parliamentary constituencies as well, then it doesn’t bode well for us to form a Government in future general elections.”
Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis however insisted Mr Johnson remained the right person to lead the party, amid speculation that a bad set of election results – coupled with any further revelations about No 10 lockdown-busting parties – could see more Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence.
The Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News: “I absolutely think we can win the next election, and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that.”
Policing minister Kit Malthouse told the BBC: “The further away you get from London, our sense is that the picture is better for us.”
‘Progress’
While Labour enjoyed success in London, there was a more mixed picture elsewhere – with the loss of Hull blamed on local issues but the party insisting it was winning back support in Brexit-supporting areas.
Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator, said it was a “turning point” for the party.
“After the disastrous results of 2019, these early results are showing the progress we have made thanks to Keir’s leadership. Labour is making headway in England, Scotland and Wales, taking over key Conservative councils and winning in vital Parliamentary battlegrounds across the country,” she said.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth acknowledged there was a mountain to climb for the party following the 2019 general election.
“It’s climbable, but my god it’s a big mountain because we got an absolute hammering in 2019, the worst result since the 1930s,” he told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Labour lost Hull to the Liberal Democrats in what looks like a good night for them.
The Liberal Democrats focused on making further inroads in Tory heartlands – the “Blue Wall” in southern England – following recent Westminster by-election successes in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: “I am optimistic that thanks to their hard work, the Liberal Democrats will gain ground in areas across the Blue Wall where voters are fed up of being taken for granted by the Conservatives.”
The first council election results are expected in Wales around 2pm this afternoon.
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Partygate…you mean Torygate ! More gates than Wynnstay’s…
Note that the Tory councillors aren’t talking about how the people in their areas are effected by the disgusting way the Tories behave and the twisted and sick laws they pass, just a lot of “poor me”ing about how it has affected their chances of working their way up to the gravy train. …and how Starmer’s wretched bunch of slightly less nasty small “c” conservatives are celebrating is beyond me. How is this a victory? Have they forgotten who their opposition is? One of the most corrupt, spiteful, incompetent and downright embarrassing parties to have ever wandered the sceptic halls… Read more »
Once again Fat Shanks Johnson is hiding in a primary school !!
Even if Boris Johnson’s Conservative ideocracy loses hundreds of Council seats today you’ll still have his cultist apologists stating how good he is as a leader highlighting Ukraine to deflect any criticism. Bumbling Boris must realise that soon he will have to come out of the shadows. He can’t hide forever no matter how hard he tries.