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| Local elections: Tories profit from Ukip collapse amid Labour losses | Local elections: Tories profit from Ukip collapse amid Labour losses |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Conservative party has made significant gains and Labour has suffered losses in local elections for England and Wales, with Ukip facing a near total wipeout of its county council seats. | The Conservative party has made significant gains and Labour has suffered losses in local elections for England and Wales, with Ukip facing a near total wipeout of its county council seats. |
| With just five weeks to go before the general election, Jeremy Corbyn’s party blamed “unique circumstances” for a challenging set of results in Thursday’s polls. | With just five weeks to go before the general election, Jeremy Corbyn’s party blamed “unique circumstances” for a challenging set of results in Thursday’s polls. |
| The numbers so far are ominous for Labour’s prospects in the general election, with the Conservatives benefiting from the huge decline in support for Ukip. By 8am on Friday, the Tories had gained more than 110 seats in England, while Labour had lost 47. | The numbers so far are ominous for Labour’s prospects in the general election, with the Conservatives benefiting from the huge decline in support for Ukip. By 8am on Friday, the Tories had gained more than 110 seats in England, while Labour had lost 47. |
| John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said he accepted it had been a “tough night” but defended the performance of the Labour leader and told ITV it had “not been the wipeout people were expecting”. | |
| Theresa May’s party gained control of at least four English councils – Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire and the Isle of Wight – which swung from no overall control to Conservative control. But two of the most significant results were in the north, where Labour has dominated local government for many decades. The Conservatives became the largest party on Cumbria county council in northwest England and then Northumberland in the northeast, where it was denied a majority when a Lib Dem candidate beat a Tory by drawing straws to settle a tied result. | |
| In Wales, the Tories have gained 50 seats and independents have added 21, while Labour has lost 74 but remains the most dominant party. The Tories gained Monmouthshire council, while Labour lost control of Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend but strengthened its presence in Swansea. | |
| The Liberal Democrats failed to make the gains they were hoping for in the south and south-west. Ukip – which lost its presence on Lincolnshire, Essex and Hampshire councils – has yet to successfully defend a single seat. The Greens and Plaid Cymru were the only parties other than the Tories to gain ground, respectively doubling their seats from five to 10 and increasing their seats by 12. | The Liberal Democrats failed to make the gains they were hoping for in the south and south-west. Ukip – which lost its presence on Lincolnshire, Essex and Hampshire councils – has yet to successfully defend a single seat. The Greens and Plaid Cymru were the only parties other than the Tories to gain ground, respectively doubling their seats from five to 10 and increasing their seats by 12. |
| Many results have yet to be declared, including Scottish councils, but there is likely to be some cheer for Labour when the party wins metro mayoral votes in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and potentially the tightly fought battle in the West Midlands. | Many results have yet to be declared, including Scottish councils, but there is likely to be some cheer for Labour when the party wins metro mayoral votes in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and potentially the tightly fought battle in the West Midlands. |
| The first metro mayoral result to be announced was for the West of England area including Bristol, Bath, north-east Somerset and south Gloucestershire, which went to the Conservative candidate Tim Bowles. | The first metro mayoral result to be announced was for the West of England area including Bristol, Bath, north-east Somerset and south Gloucestershire, which went to the Conservative candidate Tim Bowles. |
| After polls closed, Corbyn’s team played down expectations of Labour’s performance, accepting that the party could be set to lose hundreds of seats. | After polls closed, Corbyn’s team played down expectations of Labour’s performance, accepting that the party could be set to lose hundreds of seats. |
| Labour said the party performed strongly in 2013 when the same council seats were last contested, and it was confident its message would start to resonate as 8 June approached. | Labour said the party performed strongly in 2013 when the same council seats were last contested, and it was confident its message would start to resonate as 8 June approached. |
| “These elections are a challenging set of contests held in unique circumstances,” a Labour spokesman said. “They’re individual contests being fought in very differing situations, from local council-level, issue-driven campaigns up to large mayoral fights with some well-known politicians.” | “These elections are a challenging set of contests held in unique circumstances,” a Labour spokesman said. “They’re individual contests being fought in very differing situations, from local council-level, issue-driven campaigns up to large mayoral fights with some well-known politicians.” |
| Philip Johnson, a Labour parliamentary candidate for Nuneaton who lost his Warwickshire council seat, said Corbyn was “putting off” some voters. Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP for Aberavon, was also forthright in his criticism of the leadership and argued the party needed to make the general election about the wider team. | |
| He told the BBC: “I think we can’t just put a spin on this - the fact of the matter is that Jeremy’s leadership does come up on the doorstep on a very regular basis. What we have to do is make this election about more than leadership, we’ve got to make it about the future of our country ... | |
| “We are seeing from people on the doorstep that they are worried about the polarisation of our politics, they do feel there is a shift to the hard left and a shift to the hard right. And my vision of the Labour party is not one where we are anywhere near the hard left. We are a party that is a centrist, patriotic party that stands up for working people.” | |
| But McDonnell said Labour’s policies were going down well and people would like Corbyn the more they were exposed to him. | |
| “I’m not underestimating the challenge we face across the country, but what I’m saying is it wasn’t the wipeout many predicted,” he told the BBC. “It is much better and I think we turned out our vote in ways people didn’t expect. In the national campaign we have set out extremely popular policies and this issue about Jeremy Corbyn, in the very area he campaigned, Cardiff, we actually held on to it well.” | “I’m not underestimating the challenge we face across the country, but what I’m saying is it wasn’t the wipeout many predicted,” he told the BBC. “It is much better and I think we turned out our vote in ways people didn’t expect. In the national campaign we have set out extremely popular policies and this issue about Jeremy Corbyn, in the very area he campaigned, Cardiff, we actually held on to it well.” |
| McDonnell said there would be balanced airtime in the broadcast media during a general election, counteracting “unbalanced media reporting of [Jeremy Corbyn] for the last two years”. | McDonnell said there would be balanced airtime in the broadcast media during a general election, counteracting “unbalanced media reporting of [Jeremy Corbyn] for the last two years”. |
| “What we’re finding is people like the policies and then they see Jeremy Corbyn is an honest, decent but also principled man, so the more airtime we get the better,” he said. | “What we’re finding is people like the policies and then they see Jeremy Corbyn is an honest, decent but also principled man, so the more airtime we get the better,” he said. |
| In total, 35 English council elections – most of them county councils – and every council seat in Scotland and Wales were up for grabs. Turnout in England is predicted to have been around 35% – slightly up on the last comparable elections. | In total, 35 English council elections – most of them county councils – and every council seat in Scotland and Wales were up for grabs. Turnout in England is predicted to have been around 35% – slightly up on the last comparable elections. |
| Strategists from all the major parties will be scrutinising the results closely for signs that May’s relentless message of providing “strong and stable leadership” has persuaded habitual Labour voters to defect to the Conservatives. | Strategists from all the major parties will be scrutinising the results closely for signs that May’s relentless message of providing “strong and stable leadership” has persuaded habitual Labour voters to defect to the Conservatives. |
| The results so far appear to support the hypothesis that Ukip’s vote is collapsing in the Tories’ favour, as May pledges to deliver Brexit. | The results so far appear to support the hypothesis that Ukip’s vote is collapsing in the Tories’ favour, as May pledges to deliver Brexit. |
| However, the Conservatives are trying to play down their good results for fear people may not bother to turn out at the general election because they assume May is on course for a landslide. | However, the Conservatives are trying to play down their good results for fear people may not bother to turn out at the general election because they assume May is on course for a landslide. |
| Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, told the BBC: “It looks as if we have made so far some encouraging gains … but it’s very early days yet. Most of these councils, the vast majority, are still to count. We’ll have to wait and see what the final results are – and overall, of course, the turnout is much lower than you get in a general election.” | Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, told the BBC: “It looks as if we have made so far some encouraging gains … but it’s very early days yet. Most of these councils, the vast majority, are still to count. We’ll have to wait and see what the final results are – and overall, of course, the turnout is much lower than you get in a general election.” |
| He denied that the Conservatives were benefiting only from Ukip’s demise, attributing some of the party’s advances to “Jeremy Corbyn’s very feeble leadership”. | He denied that the Conservatives were benefiting only from Ukip’s demise, attributing some of the party’s advances to “Jeremy Corbyn’s very feeble leadership”. |
| Labour sources suggested the overall picture was complex and only the national vote share would be an indication of what may be to come in the general election. | Labour sources suggested the overall picture was complex and only the national vote share would be an indication of what may be to come in the general election. |
| But losses in traditionally Labour areas where the local MP has a small majority will inevitably raise fears that the party is on course for a heavy defeat next month. | But losses in traditionally Labour areas where the local MP has a small majority will inevitably raise fears that the party is on course for a heavy defeat next month. |
| Anthony Wells, of pollsters YouGov, said Labour was just three percentage points behind Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives in the 1983 local elections, but trailed by 16 points in the general election that followed just a month later. | Anthony Wells, of pollsters YouGov, said Labour was just three percentage points behind Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives in the 1983 local elections, but trailed by 16 points in the general election that followed just a month later. |
| Wells said: “Don’t just assume that the projected overall shares of the vote at this week’s votes are going to be repeated in next month’s election. People vote differently for different reasons at different sorts of election.” | Wells said: “Don’t just assume that the projected overall shares of the vote at this week’s votes are going to be repeated in next month’s election. People vote differently for different reasons at different sorts of election.” |
| Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said people should not extrapolate from the local results to make predictions about the national results at a general election. | |