Is Labour really heading for power after these local election results?

Experts differ on the numbers but a struggling SNP could mean Sir Keir Starmer’s party has all to play for says Archie Mitchell

Sir Keir Starmer holds five month old Hazel in Chatham, Kent, after the party won Medway Council (PA)

As the local election results came flooding in, one thing became quickly clear –  it was a disaster for the Tories. The Conservatives shedded more than 1,000 local councillors, exceeding even the party’s own worst expectations.

But despite Sir Keir Starmer declaring Labour is heading for a majority at the next general election, the extent of his party’s success appeared less clear.

Labour MPs insist the party is “confident but not complacent”. Tory MPs claim Rishi Sunak is “getting the country back on track”. So is Labour really heading for government?