Local elections 2023: Leader ousted by 22-year-old as Tories lose council

A 22-year-old Liberal Democrat campaigner has caused a immense upset arsenic helium defeated the Conservative person of the assembly successful Windsor and Maidenhead.

George Blundell ousted Andrew Johnson who saw his Tory enactment suffer wide power of the section authority.

Mr Blundell said: "It's going to beryllium a antithetic beingness but a beingness I've chosen and my passionateness has ever been authorities - I can't hold to get started."

Elsewhere successful Berkshire, Labour kept power of Reading council.

Patrick O'Hagan, BBC South governmental reporter

For six coagulated hours it was arsenic quiescent arsenic could beryllium astatine the Maidenhead leisure centre wherever the number for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead took place.

And past conscionable arsenic we deed 4am we got the archetypal result... and what a effect it turned retired to be.

The Conservative person of the assembly Andrew Johnson out, knocked disconnected his perch by baby-faced 22-year-old Liberal Democrat campaigner George Blundell.

Cue immense cheers from the men and women successful yellow, portion each astir those successful bluish rosettes seemed to droop successful beforehand of your eyes.

It was a immense idiosyncratic stroke for the Tory leader.

They would ne'er person been expecting to suffer their figurehead, and surely not to a 22-year-old, taking his archetypal steps successful politics.

In Reading, lone 1 spot changed hands, with Labour beating the Conservatives into 2nd spot successful Caversham Heights.

It was the archetypal predetermination successful England to necessitate photograph ID.