Local elections results: Corbyn says Brexit deal between Labour and Tories ‘has to be done’ in wake of poll hammering

Disastrous night for major parties as Liberal Democrats surge

Local elections: Tories and Labour suffer losses

Voters have punished both Theresa May’s Conservative party and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in the 2019 local government elections over Brexit.

The Tories lost more than 1,200 seats, while the Lib Dems gained more than 600. The Greens gained more than 180 seats, with party co-leader Jonathan Bartley declaring it “the biggest election night in our history”.

Change UK MP Chuka Umunna said the local election results illustrate that “politics is broken in Britain”, while polling expert Sir John Curtice said the hold of the two big parties looks “as weak as it has done at any point in post-war British politics”.

The prime minister was confronted with anger as backbench MPs called for her removal and warned that the party would be “toast” if it did not change direction.

In Wales, a heckler interrupted the PM as she gave a speech in Wales, saying: “Why don’t you resign? We don’t want you.”

(Graphic News)

The prime minister later thanked Conservative councillors who had lost their seats.

“Because we haven’t delivered the Brexit deal through parliament yet, this was going to be a particularly challenging set of elections for both of the main parties,” she said in a speech to the North East Lincolnshire Conservative Group.

“I also know that last night, I’m sorry to say, a good number of good local councillors across the country lost their seats,” she said, in a speech to the North East Lincolnshire Conservative Group.

“Brandon (Lewis) and I both started our careers in local government and we know what it’s like when you’re fighting local elections against a difficult national background.

“I’d like to thank all those councillors for all their hard work and effort that they’ve put in.”

Labour also suffered losses, surprising the party leadership who had expected to make gains in Thursday’s vote.

Instead the party lost 63 council seats and overall control of six councils, including heartland councils such as Hartlepool, Wirral and Bolsover.

Both parties are now bracing for further losses in European elections, which are scheduled for 23 May.

If you would like to see how the results emerged, please see what was our live coverage below:

[2 May 2019 10:20 · Samuel Osborne]

Lord Dannatt said he spoke to Mr Williamson on the phone on Wednesday night following his sacking.

He said: "Last night he was very much protesting his innocence.

"He has been trying very hard to argue the toss for the Ministry of Defence, for the armed forces, with the Treasury to get more resources.

"He has to protest his innocence over this, otherwise he is laying himself open to potentially criminal prosecution."

[2 May 2019 10:36 · Samuel Osborne]

The Bank of England is set to provide its first forecasts of what Britain's Brexit delay will mean for the British economy.

The central bank is due to keep its main interest rate on hold at 0.75 per cent following the latest meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.

The focus will be what governor Mark Carney says about the Brexit extension granted by the other 27 members of the European Union.

The central bank has consistently warned about the economic impact of Brexit uncertainty and of a deep recession if Britain were to leave the EU without a deal. 

[2 May 2019 10:47 · Samuel Osborne]

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has used an urgent question in the House of Commons to request a statement on the findings of the investigation into the Huawei leak, which led Theresa May to dismiss Gavin Williamson as her defence secretary.

David Lidington responded by saying the prime minister considers the matter closed and will not comment on details of the investigation.

He went on to say the cabinet secretary would not call for a police investigation into the leak. "We would of course cooperate fully should the police themselves consider that an investigation were necessary," he added.

[2 May 2019 10:56 · Samuel Osborne]

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington told the Commons: "The unauthorised disclosure of any information from government is serious and especially so from the National Security Council.

"The prime minister has said she now considers that this matter has been closed and the cabinet secretary does not consider it necessary to refer it to the police, but we would of course cooperate fully should the police themselves consider that an investigation were necessary."

[2 May 2019 11:03 · Samuel Osborne]

Here is Mr Lidington's response:

[2 May 2019 11:07 · Samuel Osborne]

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, asking the urgent question, said: "In response to receiving the most brutal sacking I can think of [Gavin Williamson] has protested his innocence. Therefore this matter cannot be, as the prime minister says, closed.

"The essential point here is the prime minister has sacked the secretary of state for defence because she believes there is compelling evidence that he has committed a crime. But despite that, she does not believe he should face a criminal investigation - where is the justice in that?

"In what world is it acceptable that the prime minister should be the arbiter of whether a politician she believes is guilty of criminal conduct in office should face a criminal investigation?"

[2 May 2019 11:11 · Samuel Osborne]

Mr Watson asked Mr Lidington to confirm there were no leaks from the leak inquiry itself, before raising questions about whether Huawei should be allowed to be part of the UK's critical infrastructure network, and the concerns raised by intelligence allies.

Mr Lidington said: "The problem about this particular case was not so much the question of the material that was disclosed, but the forum from which the leak came - and it was to maintain the integrity and secrecy essential for the proper conduct of the business of the Government of the United Kingdom, whichever party happens to be in office, that caused the prime minister to set up the inquiry and to take the decisions that she took yesterday."

He added as far as he was aware the leak inquiry took place "on the basis of confidentiality throughout its proceedings".

[2 May 2019 11:26 · Samuel Osborne]

The SNP's defence spokesman Stuart McDonald said it was "not in the prime minister's gift" to say this "most disgraceful episode" is closed.

He added: "The fact we are here today shows that it is far from closed."

Mr McDonald asked: "What was Mr Williamson avoiding answering?", and asked what further action would be taken beyond his sacking.

Responding, Mr Lidington said he would not comment beyond what the prime minister wrote in her letter to the former defence secretary.

He added: "Whether a criminal offence has been committed is a matter for independent prosecution authorities and ultimately for the courts."

[2 May 2019 11:33 · Samuel Osborne]

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said a breakdown in collective Cabinet responsibility was partly to blame for the leak.

"The problem we now seem to have is that we have watched the progressive breakdown in collective responsibility," the Conservative MP added.

"Unfortunately what appears to have happened is it has a corrosive quality which starts in the willingness to contradict colleagues over policy issues within the Cabinet and then creeps incrementally into a willingness to brief externally on discussions on an increasingly secret nature."

In response, David Lidington said he agreed there was a "corrosive effect of unauthorised disclosures".

He added: "I do think above all when it comes to National Security Council discussions, and I think this applies to Cabinet too, that there is great merit in the very old-fashioned precept that members should speak with complete candour within the room and shut up when they get outside."

[2 May 2019 11:34 · Samuel Osborne]

The Met Police will not launch an investigation into Mr Williamson's alleged leaking unless the Cabinet Office refers the matter to them, commissioner Cressida Dick told reporters.