Rishi election nightmare continues: Tories lose control of more true-blue councils

Rishi Sunak's predetermination nightmare has continued arsenic the Tories mislaid power of a fig of true-blue councils contempt a consolation triumph successful the Tees Valley. 

Earlier today, the Prime Minister suffered the indignity of seeing of seeing a Labour politician triumph successful his ain constituency arsenic the enactment hemorrhaged councils and seats.

The Conservatives mislaid Gloucester, which they had antecedently held for 20 years, and Dorset to the Liberal Democrats. Lord Ben Houchen's re-election connected Teesside was a crumb of comfortableness arsenic the enactment mislaid much than fractional of its councillors up for re-election crossed England, conscionable months distant from a wide election. 

Labour's David Skaith became the inaugural elected politician of York and North Yorkshire this afternoon, a caller presumption that covers the Prime Minister's Richmond constituency.

It was 1 of the last blows successful a time of reverses for the ruling party, including successful galore areas the Tories request to triumph to person immoderate accidental successful the wide predetermination aboriginal this year. All eyes present crook to mayoral contests successful London and the West Midlands, the results of which volition beryllium declared connected Saturday.

Labour gained Adur successful West Sussex from the Conservatives this day aft scooping 8 seats – the archetypal clip the enactment has controlled the council. There was an adjacent much bonzer turnaround successful Nuneaton and Bedworth, wherever Keir Starmer's enactment racked up 15 much seats to instrumentality control, with the Tories down 14.

Labour besides seized wide power of Milton Keynes for the archetypal clip since 2000 aft adding 3 councillors. It followed the daze triumph successful Rushmoor successful Hampshire this morning, a assembly it has ne'er earlier controlled.

Yvette Cooper did, however, admit that the Labour party's stance connected Gaza has 'obviously been a factor' successful immoderate of their assembly predetermination losses. 

Polling guru Professor John Curtice has suggested the Tories are connected way to suffer 500 councillors - fractional of those up for grabs - successful 1 of the worst showings by the enactment for 40 years. 

As helium tries to fend disconnected a caller coup bid from Tory rebels, the PM acknowledged that results truthful acold were 'disappointing' but insisted Keir Starmer had inactive not sealed the deal. 

But connected a triumph thigh successful Northallerton tonight, Sir Keir hailed Mr Skaith's triumph in 'the bosom of Tory territory', with a bulk of  nearly 15,000 in an country antecedently considered a Conservative stronghold.

Eyes are present turning to tomorrow, with Conservatives hoping that Andy Street could instrumentality immoderate much unit disconnected the premier by winning a 3rd mayoral word successful the West Midlands.  

Labour's Sadiq Khan is present believed to person a closer-than-expected contention with Tory challenger Susan Hall successful the capital, portion a constrictive contention is besides apt for West Midlands Tory politician Andy Street.

The results of respective assembly and constabulary and transgression commissioner elections volition besides beryllium announced arsenic the play begins.

Tory incumbent Ben Houchen was re-elected successful Tees Valley, but saw his bulk slashed. Three years agone Lord Houchen secured a immense triumph with 72 per cent of the vote, but this clip helium lone received 53 per cent connected a turnout of conscionable implicit 30 per cent. 

The time began connected a grim enactment for the Tories arsenic Labour's Chris Webb secured a monolithic 26 per cent plaything successful Blackpool South to go the newest MP successful the Commons.

In a peculiarly alarming motion the Tory campaigner hardly managed to propulsion Reform into 3rd place, by conscionable 117 votes. Visiting the constituency this greeting flanked by Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer said voters wanted to 'turn the page' connected the government. 

It was the seventh parliamentary spot the Tories person mislaid successful a by-election since Mr Sunak became PM successful October 2022 - underlining that Sir Keir looks to beryllium connected way for Downing Street. 

As English councils declared, Labour claimed a 'truly historical result' to instrumentality Rushmoor - the location of the British Army - from the Tories and extremity astir a quarter-of-a period of Conservative control.

Sir Keir besides saw wins successful Hartlepool and made different gains successful cardinal wide predetermination battlegrounds Thurrock and Redditch arsenic they enjoyed aboriginal success. Welwyn Hatfield - Grant Shapps' spot - remained nether nary wide control, but the Tories were reduced to the lowest fig of seats ever. In Castle Point the party's 8 councillors were wiped out.  

In a agleam spot, the enactment has managed to clasp connected to power of Harlow - which section MP Robert Halfon described arsenic 'the biggest comeback since Lazarus'. 

Labour besides suffered woes of their ain successful Oldham, wherever the enactment mislaid wide power aft independents picked up seats successful an evident backlash implicit the Gaza war.

Speaking astatine a subject basal successful North Yorkshire, Mr Sunak told broadcasters: 'Obviously it's disappointing to suffer good, hard-working Conservative councillors and I'm grateful to them for each their work successful section government, keeping assembly taxation debased and delivering services for section people.

'But we person inactive got tons of results to travel arsenic well, and determination are besides things that I would constituent to, Harlow for illustration wherever Keir Starmer held a rally conscionable connected Wednesday saying that was a spot that helium had to triumph to beryllium connected way to triumph a wide election.

'That hasn't happened, and so we are inactive waiting for the results successful the Tees Valley mayoralty conscionable adjacent to present which is evidently a precise important trial arsenic well.'

Labour tried to play down falling abbreviated successful Tees Valley, saying Lord Houchen - a adjacent state of Boris Johnson - ran arsenic a 'pseudo-independent'.

Sources argued that an estimated 12.5 per cent plaything would beryllium capable to expanse astir Westminster constituencies successful the area. 

In a bruising circuit of broadcast studios, Tory seat Richard Holden was asked whether helium was assured MPs volition not effort to region Mr Sunak arsenic leader.

'Parliamentary colleagues request to look astatine this and see… and hold done the play arsenic well,' helium told Sky News.

The losses person triggered speculation that mounting Tory unrest could pb MPs to question to region the Prime Minister.

But Mr Holden sought to item section issues astatine play, insisting the Blackpool South by-election took spot successful 'particularly difficult' circumstances pursuing the resignation of erstwhile Tory MP Scott Benton aft a lobbying scandal.

He admitted it had been a 'tough night' but told LBC the enactment was coming disconnected a 'very precocious watermark successful 2021'.

However, Tory MPs were scathing successful their assessment. 

Paul Scully said helium did not judge the person should change, but warned of a 'bunker mentality' successful No10.

'Crisis absorption is astir a time to time occupation of the government,' helium told LBC. 'We are not speaking to people. We request to scope out.' 

Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng told LBC: 'All of our seats are nether threat. There's nary specified happening truly arsenic a harmless Tory spot anymore.' 

Veteran Tory adjutant Tim Montgomerie, who has been highly captious of Mr Sunak, told the BBC: 'Personally I deliberation the results are truthful bad... I conscionable don't deliberation helium is connected with the voters.

'I deliberation helium should go.'

Following the declaration of the Blackpool South effect conscionable earlier 5am, Sir Keir reiterated his request for Mr Sunak to telephone a wide election.

Standing alongside his caller MP successful the constituency, the Labour person said: 'It's a fantastic result, a truly first-class effect and present successful Blackpool a connection has been sent straight to the Prime Minister, straight to the Prime Minister, due to the fact that this was a parliamentary vote.

'This was straight to Rishi Sunak to accidental we are fed up with your decline, your chaos and your part and we privation change. We privation to spell guardant with Labour.'

He added: 'That wasn't conscionable a small message, that wasn't conscionable a murmur, that was a outcry from Blackpool.

'We privation change, and Blackpool speaks for the full country. It says we person had capable present aft 14 years of failure, 14 years of decline. We request to crook the leafage and commencement afresh with Labour, which has a affirmative program for the country.'

Mr Webb scooped 10,825 votes to unafraid a 7,607-vote majority. The Tories won 3,218 votes, conscionable 117 votes up of third-placed Reform UK.

The 26.33 per cent plaything was the 3rd biggest from the Conservatives to Labour astatine a by-election since the Second World War. 

The Tories said the Blackpool South by-election was 'always going to beryllium difficult' fixed the 'specific circumstances' surrounding erstwhile MP Scott Benton.

A enactment spokesperson said: 'This was a pugnacious combat and David Jones was an fantabulous campaigner who campaigned hard for each azygous vote.

'This was ever going to beryllium hard predetermination fixed the circumstantial circumstances related to the erstwhile incumbent.

'What has been wide is that a ballot for Reform is simply a ballot for Sir Keir Starmer – taking america close backmost to quadrate one.'

The Blackpool South result added to a nighttime of turmoil for the Conservatives, arsenic they besides suffered dismal results successful local elections crossed the country.

Labour are boasting of being 'on track' for powerfulness astatine Westminster aft making gains successful cardinal assembly contests.

In his triumph speech, Mr Webb said: 'People nary longer spot the Conservatives. Prime Minister: bash the decent thing, admit you've failed and telephone a wide election.'

The Blackpool South contention was prompted by the resignation of erstwhile Tory MP Scott Benton from the House of Commons aft helium was caught up successful a lobbying sting.

The Conservatives won the spot astatine the 2019 wide election, with Mr Benton arsenic the party's candidate, with a much than 3,500-vote majority. 

Tory lawman seat Angela Richardson told the BBC: 'The effect was not unexpected. I think, fixed the circumstances that caused the by-election successful the archetypal place, it was ever going to beryllium hard for the Conservatives.'

Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said the Tories could beryllium connected people to suffer 500 councillors successful 'one of the worst, if not the worst' performances by the enactment successful 40 years.

'So acold they are fundamentally losing a fractional of the seats they are trying to defend. If that continues they whitethorn extremity up losing 500 oregon truthful seats, which is the happening they were meant to avoid,' helium told BBC Radio 4's Today.

'Early days yet, but wherever we person got the elaborate voting numbers, it looks arsenic though the Conservative ballot is simply a wee spot down connected wherever it was past year.

'We are astir apt looking astatine surely 1 of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances successful section authorities elections for the past 40 years.'

Elections adept Michael Thrasher told Sky News that the plaything to Labour successful Blackpool was 'more oregon little disconnected the scale'.   

As good arsenic the Tory-Labour fight, the show of insurgent outfit Reform was besides being keenly scrutinised passim the nighttime of predetermination results.

Reform bushed the Tories successful 16 retired of the 25 seats being contests connected Sunderland council, with person Richard Tice crowing they were 'becoming the existent absorption to Labour successful Red Wall areas'.

The results from the 107 section authorities successful England who held elections connected Thursday could yet determine Mr Sunak's 's governmental fate.

Labour has gained constabulary and transgression commissioners from the Conservatives successful Cumbria and Avon and Somerset.

The PM is besides braced for further dire results from mayoral contests, which volition commencement to beryllium declared successful the coming hours.

Labour's astir awesome triumph of the nighttime truthful acold came successful Rushmoor.

Sir Keir's party boasted of present being successful complaint of the 'home of the British Army' successful a motion to the Hampshire authority's links to the military.

They taunted Mr Sunak that it was 'time for a wide election' successful the aftermath of the result.

Labour won 9 retired of 13 seats up for grabs connected Rushmoor Borough Council, with the Tories winning 3 and the Liberal Democrats one.

It gave Sir Keir's enactment a bulk connected the assembly arsenic the Tories ceded power aft 24 years successful charge.

The assembly includes Aldershot, known arsenic the location of the British Army, and Labour was keen to item that nexus arsenic impervious that the enactment had changed since Jeremy Corbyn's clip arsenic leader.

A enactment spokeswoman said: 'This is simply a genuinely historical result.

'Rushmoor - the location of the British Army - has ne'er had a bulk Labour assembly before, and has been tally by the Tories for the past 24 years.

'This effect demonstrates conscionable however overmuch the Labour Party has changed and radical successful Rushmoor cognize that lone Labour tin present the alteration they privation to see.

'A Labour summation for Rushmoor is simply a effect Rishi Sunak cannot ignore. It's clip for a wide election.'

In different eye-catching triumph for Labour, the enactment won power of Thurrock aft starting the nighttime arsenic the 2nd biggest enactment down the Tories.

The Essex council, which had precocious moved to nary wide power due to the fact that of defections, is successful a beardown Brexit-supporting portion of the country.

It has besides been among those section authorities successful dire fiscal straits, with assembly taxation having been hiked by an eye-watering 8 per cent past month.

Thurrock was efficaciously declared bankrupt successful 2022 pursuing a failed concern spree.

Labour hailed their triumph successful a cardinal parliamentary battleground, with a enactment spokesperson saying: 'This is precisely the benignant of spot we request to beryllium winning to summation a bulk successful a wide election.

'The radical of Thurrock person sent the Conservatives a connection that they privation change.'

Labour won 9 of the 12 seats up for grabs successful Hartlepool to summation power of the council, with independents winning 2 and the Conservatives one.

Hartlepool has a symbolic value for Sir Keir aft Labour mislaid the parliamentary by-election determination successful 2021.

A enactment spokesperson said: 'Winning backmost Hartlepool assembly is simply a groundbreaking infinitesimal aft the disappointing results we saw present successful 2021.

'Keir Starmer pledged to alteration the Labour Party aft that effect and today's triumph shows that this changed Labour Party is acceptable to present the alteration that communities similar Hartlepool are crying retired for.'Making gains present shows that the enactment is connected way to triumph a wide predetermination and is firmly backmost successful the work of moving people.'

Along with the nonstop situation from Labour and evident compression connected Tory votes successful 'Red Wall' areas from Reform, the Liberal Democrats claimed they were gaining crushed successful accepted Conservative heartlands successful confederate England.

A enactment root said they were expecting affirmative results in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire. 

As good arsenic the assembly elections, voting besides took spot connected Thursday successful 11 mayoral contests and 37 constabulary and crime commissioner elections.

Conservative rebels are poised to pounce connected a dismal nighttime for Mr Sunak by mounting a caller effort to oust the PM from No10 successful the coming days.

Tories fearfulness they could lose up to fractional of the assembly seats they are defending.

The last effect successful Sunderland was Labour 18, Liberal Democrats 4 and Conservatives three, arsenic Sir Keir's enactment retained control.

Although Reform did not triumph 1 of the 25 seats being contested, Mr Tice hailed his party's performance.

He said Reform were 'rapidly becoming the existent absorption to Labour, whether it's successful the North, the Midlands, we cognize it's the lawsuit successful Wales'. 

Mr Tice added: 'We are precise excited. This is simply a precise bully time for Reform UK. It's besides a bully time for democracy, actually, due to the fact that the Great British radical person got a superior alternate to see erstwhile they privation to spell and vote.'

Cabinet curate Chris Heaton-Harris said the results successful Sunderland showed 'if you ballot Reform, you get Labour'.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told the BBC: 'It's a precise straightforward equation for radical astatine the adjacent wide election.

'If they privation to ballot Reform, they'll extremity up with Labour MPs, and they'll extremity up with a Labour government, and past they'll extremity up, probably, with everything they didn't privation to ballot for based connected the illustration of Reform voters.'

Peterborough remained nether nary wide control, but Labour became the biggest enactment aft gaining 5 seats portion the Conservatives mislaid 11. 

Labour retained power of South Tyneside, but mislaid astatine slightest 7 seats to independents.

Sir Keir's enactment were fearing a section elections backlash implicit the Gaza struggle successful immoderate parts of the country.

In London, Labour politician Sadiq Khan is expected to triumph an historical 3rd word successful City Hall contempt a situation by Tory rival Susan Hall over ULEZ and transgression rates.

As polls closed past night, Labour MP Pat McFadden MP, the party's nationalist run coordinator, said: 'The astir important predetermination of the nighttime is the historical by-election successful Blackpool, caused by yet much Tory chaos and scandal.

'It's the lone predetermination contiguous wherever voters person had the accidental to straight cull Rishi Sunak's enactment successful Westminster.

'It's going to beryllium a agelong nighttime and the afloat representation of results from section elections whitethorn not beryllium wide until implicit the weekend, but we expect to spot Labour gains that amusement we're making advancement successful the places we request to triumph the adjacent wide election.'

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey besides sought to heap the unit connected Mr Sunak, saying: 'Up and down the country, truthful galore lifelong Conservative voters backed the Liberal Democrats today'.

Every elector successful England and Wales was capable to formed a ballot successful astatine slightest 1 benignant of predetermination earlier 10pm connected Thursday.

There were 2,600 assembly seats successful England up for grabs crossed 107 authorities.

Many of the seats were past fought successful 2021 - a twelvemonth successful which the Conservatives did peculiarly good successful section elections astatine a precocious constituent successful Boris Johnson's premiership.

The Tory slump since then was demonstrated by the latest YouGov poll, published connected Thursday, showing the enactment connected 18 per cent with Labour connected 44 per cent.

This was the lowest Conservative ballot stock of this Parliament, little than nether Liz Truss, erstwhile it sank to 19 per cent.

The survey of 2,010 British voters, conducted betwixt April 30 and May 1, besides showed the Tories lone 3 percent points up of Reform connected 15 per cent.