This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-68609732

The article has changed 54 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 39 Version 40
Local election results: Labour celebrates West Midlands mayor win - BBC News Local election results: Suella Braverman to join Laura Kuenssberg after bleak Tory showing - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Labour marches on - The party gained more than 180 council seats to take control of eight councils, including Milton Keynes and Nuneaton, where there are traditional bellwether seats for general elections. We’re going to be hearing from a Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo shortly in the programme, in her first interview since the UK's Safety of Rwanda Bill was passed last month.
Tories in the doldrums - The party has lost over 470 councillors, just under half of the seats it was defending. The PM is clinging to Tees Valley, where incumbent Tory Ben Houchen won a third term as regional mayor, as evidence the Tories are still in with a chance at the general election. That bill, which was introduced last November after the Supreme Court ruled the scheme to be unlawful, now clears the way for the government to send some asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to Rwanda.
Red dawn for mayors - Labour won a trio of newly-created regional mayor roles, continuing its recent successes in this area in recent years. Labour's Sadiq Khan won a third term as London mayor and Richard Parker defeated Andy Street in the West Midlands by the narrow margin of just 1,508 votes. The Rwanda scheme would see any asylum seeker entering the UK "illegally" after 1 January 2022 - from a safe country, such as France - being potentially sent to the landlocked east-central African country.
Gaza stance affecting Labour vote - Labour has suffered some heavy losses in wards with a large number of Muslim voters, in a sign its stance on the war in Gaza is affecting its vote in those areas. They would have their asylum claims processed there, not in the UK. If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay in Rwanda.
Greens and Lib Dems make gains - It was a good night for smaller parties, with the Lib Dems and Greens winning council seats in areas they will be targeting at the general election. After missing his earlier spring deadline, Rishi Sunak has since promised that the first flight will be taking off as early as 1 July.
Mixed bag for Reform UK - Nigel Farage and Richard Tice's party won 16.9% of the vote in Blackpool South, coming third, only 117 votes behind the Tory candidate. However, the party has only won two council seats so far, both in Havant, near Portsmouth. There have not yet been any deportations under Sunak's flagship Rwanda scheme. It was revealed last week that most of the asylum seekers initially earmarked for deportation to Rwanda cannot be immediately located.
Read more here
FacebookFacebook
TwitterTwitter
ShareView more share optionsShare this postCopy this linkRead more about these links.ShareView more share optionsShare this postCopy this linkRead more about these links.
Copy this linkCopy this link