Inside Politics: ‘This was the Tories’ jewel in the crown’

Big night for Labour in London as party takes control of symbolic councils but modest gains elsewhere, writes Matt Mathers

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and new leader of Wandsworth Council Simon Hogg (REUTERS)

You’re all here for local election results and reaction. So let’s get straight to it.

Daily Briefing

• LONDON CALLING: The results are still pouring in and the full national picture is not yet entirely clear, but we know already it is a big night for Labour in London, where the party has taken control of key councils including Wandsworth and Westminster, also winning in Barnet. Wandsworth, said to be Margaret Thatcher’s favourite council because of its low taxes, has been under Tory control since 1978. As the result became clear, a Labour source claimed that Boris Johnson losing the there is “monumental”. “This was the Tories’ jewel in the crown,” the source said. Westminster, meanwhile, has been run by the Conservatives since its creation in 1964.