Local elections 2023: Labour eyes power after Tory poll drubbing

Labour person Sir Keir Starmer says his enactment is heading for Downing Street aft the Tories were hammered successful section elections crossed England.

The Tories person mislaid 46 councils and much than 1,000 councillors, exceeding their worst predictions.

Labour is present the largest enactment successful section government, surpassing the Tories for the archetypal clip since 2002.

"The British nationalist has sent a wide rejection of a premier curate who ne'er had a mandate to statesman with," a Labour spokesperson said.

The Liberal Democrats had what person Sir Ed Davey said was their "best effect successful decades", taking power of 11 councils.

The Green Party gained 200 seats - their best-ever effect astatine a section election, and gained power of their archetypal English council, successful Mid-Sussex, though they were overtaken arsenic the biggest enactment by Labour successful Brighton and Hove.

Mr Sunak admitted the results were "disappointing" but said helium did not observe "a monolithic groundswell of question towards the Labour Party".

Sir Keir claimed the "fantastic" results showed his enactment was good placed to oust the Tories from authorities successful a nationalist poll, owed adjacent year.

"Make nary mistake, we are connected people for a Labour bulk astatine the adjacent wide election," helium told cheering activists successful Medway, 1 of the councils his enactment has wrestled from the Tories.

Labour won power of councils successful areas that volition beryllium important battlegrounds successful the wide election, including successful Swindon, Plymouth, Medway, Stoke-on-Trent, and East Staffordshire.

The elections of 230 councils successful England were the archetypal large trial of Mr Sunak's electoral popularity since helium became premier curate past year.

The BBC's projected nationalist ballot stock enactment Labour connected 35%, the Tories connected 26% and the Lib Dems connected 20%.

Labour's projected nine-point pb represents its largest implicit the Conservatives connected this measurement since the enactment mislaid powerfulness successful 2010.

Sir John Curtice, the polling expert, said this year's results were "only a small abbreviated of calamitous for the Conservatives".

But the BBC's governmental editor, Chris Mason, said the results suggested it would hard for either the Conservatives oregon Labour to beryllium assured of winning a bulk astatine the adjacent wide election.

He said determination appears to beryllium nary appetite to determination against Mr Sunak, aft the Tories forced 2 premier ministers - Boris Johnson past Liz Truss - retired past year.

Still, immoderate Conservatives are reeling from the results, with its ousted councillors and critics of Mr Sunak venting their choler astatine the standard of the losses.

As the large representation became clearer, determination was disagreement among Tories implicit who was to blasted for the nonaccomplishment of dozens of English councils and much than 1,000 councillors.

The elections came amid a dire economical backdrop successful the UK, with precocious ostentation contributing to the worst cost-of-living situation successful decades.

A fig loyal to Mr Johnson and Ms Truss told the BBC that Mr Sunak had "no enactment but to ain these results".

In a seething statement, the idiosyncratic said: ""He has been chancellor oregon premier curate for virtually each of the past 3 years and it was helium and his supporters who forced Boris and past Liz retired of bureau successful bid to instal him successful Downing Street.

"The aged saying goes that 'it is the economy, stupid' that defines the prime voters person astatine the ballot box."

Conservative Mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, said the mediocre Tory show is simply a partially a effect of "the turmoil and upheaval of the past 12 months".

He said Labour had been "successful successful making this a referendum connected the government", adding "people don't consciousness similar they tin ballot for us".

Nigel Churchill, a erstwhile Conservative councillor who mislaid his spot connected Plymouth Council, said "I deliberation we tin safely say" his enactment would suffer the adjacent wide election.

"The wide nationalist bash not spot them astatine the moment," helium said.

But Education Minister Robert Halfon said this year's predetermination was ever "going to beryllium difficult" for his party.

He said interior enactment divisions "didn't help" but claimed the losses were down to outer factors, specified arsenic the cost-of-living situation and problems successful the NHS.

"Every authorities during the mid-term, particularly a authorities that has been successful powerfulness for 13 years, ever suffers losses successful section elections," helium said.

Other Tory MPs told the BBC that apathy - Conservative voters staying astatine location - was besides a large occupation for the party.

The Conservatives attempted to negociate expectations earlier Thursday's elections, with enactment president Greg Hands suggesting they could suffer 1,000 assembly seats.

In contrast, Labour sought to downplay its chances of success, predicting gains of astir 400 seats.

Most of the seats were past up for predetermination successful 2019, astatine a clip erstwhile the UK was gripped by governmental turmoil related to Brexit.

The seats up for grabs were mostly connected territory councils, liable for services including bin collections, parks, nationalist lodging and readying applications.

The remainder of the elections were for a substance of metropolitan and unitary councils - azygous section authorities that woody with each section services - and 4 mayors.

The elections were the archetypal successful England to spot elector ID checks astatine polling stations. Some voters told the BBC they were turned distant from polling stations, prompting critics to telephone for the ID rules to beryllium dropped.