Getty ImagesBy Paul SeddonPolitics reporterAlmost all results are in from council elections across England, in the last big test of public opinion before a general election.All of the results from the mayoral contests and all but one of the results from local councils have now been announced. Here are the key takeaways from the results.Labour marches on Labour 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.In key wards identified by the BBC, its vote share was up 3% compared to 2021, the last time most seats were contested.The results, however, are only partially useful for working out the national picture, because independents feature more strongly in local votes.There were also no contests in Scotland and Northern Ireland, whilst only police and crime commissioners were elected in Wales.Its best early result was arguably in the by-election in Blackpool South, held alongside the local contests, which it won with a 26% swing from the Tories. This is in line with national opinion polls, which suggest Sir Keir Starmer is heading for victory at this year’s general election, whenever it is called.And its victory in the West Midlands mayoral race – a late result which saw Richard Parker beat incumbent Tory Andy Street – was dubbed by Sir Keir Starmer a “phenomenal result” for Labour.Tories in the doldrumsThe party has lost over 470 councillors, just under half of the seats it was defending, in a bad day for Rishi Sunak.It has returned only 513 councillors overall at these elections, fewer than the 521 council seats won by the Liberal Democrats.The Tories lost control of 10 councils, including Basildon in Essex, which gained an iconic status for the Tories under Margaret Thatcher, when the Tories won working class areas that had traditionally voted Labour. Despite the dismal results, however, the signs are that the prime minister’s internal critics are holding off on a leadership challenge.Mr Sunak 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.Find your local election results John Curtice: Scale of defeat will worry ToriesMason: Night of high drama in West MidlandsKey results in maps and chartsWhen is the next general election?Red dawn for mayors Labour won a trio of newly-created regional mayor roles, continuing its recent successes in this area in recent years.Although its victory in the North East was widely expected, it will be particularly pleased with its victory in the East Midlands, expected to be a key battleground at the general election,Its York and North Yorkshire win also provided the party with a PR coup, as the region contains Rishi Sunak’s constituency.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. Gaza stance affecting Labour voteLabour has suffered some heavy losses in wards with a large number of Muslim voters, in a sign its stance on the Israel-Gaza war is affecting its vote in those areas.In 58 local council wards analysed by the BBC, where more than 1 in 5 residents identify as Muslim, Labour’s share of the vote was 21% down on 2021, the last time most seats were contested.But there is some evidence the biggest drops in support are largely confined to wards where the party’s support was already very strong.George Galloway’s strongly pro-Palestinian Workers Party of Britain won four seats – two in Rochdale, one in Calderdale and one in Manchester, where they ousted the Labour deputy leader of the council Luthfur Rahman.Getty ImagesGreens and Lib Dems make gainsIt 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.The Liberal Democrats have made gains of 105 councillors so far and won Tunbridge Wells and Dorset.It failed to take control of West Oxfordshire and Wokingham, both target areas.The Greens have gained over 70 seats, inclu …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnGetty ImagesBy Paul SeddonPolitics reporterAlmost all results are in from council elections across England, in the last big test of public opinion before a general election.All of the results from the mayoral contests and all but one of the results from local councils have now been announced. Here are the key takeaways from the results.Labour marches on Labour 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.In key wards identified by the BBC, its vote share was up 3% compared to 2021, the last time most seats were contested.The results, however, are only partially useful for working out the national picture, because independents feature more strongly in local votes.There were also no contests in Scotland and Northern Ireland, whilst only police and crime commissioners were elected in Wales.Its best early result was arguably in the by-election in Blackpool South, held alongside the local contests, which it won with a 26% swing from the Tories. This is in line with national opinion polls, which suggest Sir Keir Starmer is heading for victory at this year’s general election, whenever it is called.And its victory in the West Midlands mayoral race – a late result which saw Richard Parker beat incumbent Tory Andy Street – was dubbed by Sir Keir Starmer a “phenomenal result” for Labour.Tories in the doldrumsThe party has lost over 470 councillors, just under half of the seats it was defending, in a bad day for Rishi Sunak.It has returned only 513 councillors overall at these elections, fewer than the 521 council seats won by the Liberal Democrats.The Tories lost control of 10 councils, including Basildon in Essex, which gained an iconic status for the Tories under Margaret Thatcher, when the Tories won working class areas that had traditionally voted Labour. Despite the dismal results, however, the signs are that the prime minister’s internal critics are holding off on a leadership challenge.Mr Sunak 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.Find your local election results John Curtice: Scale of defeat will worry ToriesMason: Night of high drama in West MidlandsKey results in maps and chartsWhen is the next general election?Red dawn for mayors Labour won a trio of newly-created regional mayor roles, continuing its recent successes in this area in recent years.Although its victory in the North East was widely expected, it will be particularly pleased with its victory in the East Midlands, expected to be a key battleground at the general election,Its York and North Yorkshire win also provided the party with a PR coup, as the region contains Rishi Sunak’s constituency.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. Gaza stance affecting Labour voteLabour has suffered some heavy losses in wards with a large number of Muslim voters, in a sign its stance on the Israel-Gaza war is affecting its vote in those areas.In 58 local council wards analysed by the BBC, where more than 1 in 5 residents identify as Muslim, Labour’s share of the vote was 21% down on 2021, the last time most seats were contested.But there is some evidence the biggest drops in support are largely confined to wards where the party’s support was already very strong.George Galloway’s strongly pro-Palestinian Workers Party of Britain won four seats – two in Rochdale, one in Calderdale and one in Manchester, where they ousted the Labour deputy leader of the council Luthfur Rahman.Getty ImagesGreens and Lib Dems make gainsIt 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.The Liberal Democrats have made gains of 105 councillors so far and won Tunbridge Wells and Dorset.It failed to take control of West Oxfordshire and Wokingham, both target areas.The Greens have gained over 70 seats, inclu …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
