Local elections 2023 – live: Labour set to form next government, says Starmer, as Tory losses mount

Conservatives lose control of 48 councils but Rishi Sunak plays down results

Rishi Sunak 'disappointed' as Tories lose control of seven councils in the local elections

Sir Keir Starmer is celebrating wins in key battlegrounds in the local elections as an indication Labour is on course to win the next general election, but Rishi Sunak remains defiant despite heavy losses.

The prime minister is under pressure as the results being declared showed both Labour and the Lib Dems seizing control of Tory councils across England.

The Labour leader said the “fantastic” results combined with a hoped-for recovery in Scotland would give him a majority in Westminster after a national poll.

With 229 results in out of 230, the Conservatives had lost 960 seats, with Labour gaining 635, the Lib Dems 416 and the Greens 200. The Conservatives had lost control of 48 councils.

Sir Keir’s party was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls.

Mr Sunak conceded the results were “disappointing” but said he was “not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for its agenda”.

The elections watchdog said “regrettably” some people were turned away from polling stations as a result of new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID.

Key Points

• Disappointing to lose ‘hard-working’ colleagues - Sunak
• Starmer - Labour ‘blew doors off’ with Medway win
• Davey hails Lib Dem gains
• ‘Terrible’ night for Tories as Labour and Lib Dems make sweeping gains
• Voters ‘turned away for not having correct ID'
• Results coming in for local authority and mayoral contests across England

[6 May 2023 04:33 · Adam Withnall]

Bedford stays under no overall control

The final result of the night came shortly before 2am, with Bedford staying under no overall control, in a declaration that was delayed because of a recount in the contest for the town’s mayor.

It meant the full results were in from 229 councils in England and four mayoral elections, with just two final seats to be declared on Tuesday when counting resumes at Redcar & Cleveland.

[6 May 2023 03:30 · Eleanor Noyce]

In pictures: Local elections 2023

Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives have suffered losses as results rolled in on Friday for local elections held across England on Thursday.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have both made gains after what one Tory MP said had been a “terrible” night for his party.

More than 8,000 seats were contested across 230 councils, with Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough among several cities and regions choosing a new mayor.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey in Windsor, Berkshire, where the Conservatives lost control of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council in the local elections (PA)

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey pulls a pint of 'Return of the King' in the George Inn pub during a visit to Windsor, Berkshire (PA)

Handout photo issued by Annette Hill who made her dog Ruby her own photo ID, complete with name, photo, and an "authorised signature" of a paw print (PA)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves the Conservative Party headquarters in central London, after the party suffered council losses in the local elections (PA)

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer joins party members in Chatham, Kent, where Labour has taken overall control of Medway Council for the first time since 1998 after winning 30 of its 59 seats (PA)

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with deputy leader Angela Rayner, during their visit to Gillingham, Kent, on the eve of local elections polling day to outline Labour's plan to tackle the cost of living crisis (PA)

[6 May 2023 02:30 · Eleanor Noyce]

ICYMI: The hidden dangers of two-party politics

Many voters feel like they are faced with the same old tired choice between the two major political parties – Labour and the Conservatives.

Despite the existence of third candidates, election leaflets come through the door telling us “Lib Dems can’t win here” – effectively arguing the case for a straight fight between the two major parties in British politics. But, as we look forwards to the general election next year, there are sound mathematical reasons why two parties battling it out – a duel so to speak – is not good for democracy.

In a two-horse race, declines in popularity for one candidate are equivalent to gains in popularity for the other, writes doctor of mathematics Kit Yates:

[6 May 2023 01:30 · Eleanor Noyce]

The Tories are running out of excuses — not for want of trying

The fact there was really nothing the Tories could say didn’t stop them trying.

What were they meant to offer? In the buildup to Thursday’s local elections, they’d tried their hardest to manage expectations by very publicly claiming that they expected to lose 1,000 seats, a “target” they are now expected to surpass by some margin.

That they’d fought an election campaign that did not appear to consist of very much more than party chairman Greg Hands going around the country flapping a 13-year-old note about there “not being any money left” around, in the futile hope that someone might possibly think that the country is better governed now than then.

It’s not clear whether Tory MPs who went on television trying to do damage limitation had been told to just say anything at all, but that’s exactly what they did.

Kelly Tolhurst, MP for Rochester and Strood in Kent, which now has a Labour council for the first time in 25 years, believed that the problem was that the government – her own government – is trying to build too many houses.

Tom Peck writes:

[6 May 2023 00:30 · Eleanor Noyce]

‘Terrible’ night for Tories as Labour takes key councils in local elections

The Tories suffered a “terrible” night in Rishi Sunak’s first electoral test as prime minister, with Labour making significant early gains.

Labour is on course to win the next general election after taking control of a series of key councils, Shabana Mahmood has said.

The party’s national campaign coordinator said the local poll had been a “disaster for Rishi Sunak and the Tories” so far. And she said the results show Labour is “on course for a majority government”.

Mr Sunak admitted he was “disappointed” by the performance and promised to “carry on delivering on people’s priorities”. And despite Labour’s claims, the prime minister said he had not seen “a groundswell” of support for the party.

The Liberal Democrats also hailed a “groundbreaking” set of results, which leader Sir Ed Davey said show people are “sick to the back teeth” of the Conservative government. Mr Davey said the party was “exceeding all expectations”.

Archie Mitchell and Kate Devlin report:

[5 May 2023 23:30 · Eleanor Noyce]

Labour ‘firing on all cylinders’ despite not winning Derby majority, leader says

The leader of the Labour group in Derby has said that he is “absolutely delighted” with the local election results which he says shows the party is “firing on all cylinders”.

The city council remains under no overall control but Labour gained eight seats to take its total to 23, putting it in a prime position to organise a minority leadership before the council AGM on May 24.

The biggest losers of the day were the Liberal Democrats, who were wiped out by Labour in Blagreaves ward and suffered losses elsewhere to end up with just half of the eight seats that they had at the start of Friday.

Callum Parke reports:

[5 May 2023 22:40 · Natalie Crockett]

ICYMI: It’s blue murder at the polls for the Tories – but is it enough for Starmer to kill off Rishi’s comeback hopes?

Analysis: The local elections suggest that Labour is heading for government. The big benchmark set by Professor Sir John Curtice, the Craig Revel Horwood of British psephology, was that Labour needed a “double-digit lead” in the projected national share of the vote for Keir Starmer to be on course to become prime minister.

The early indications are that Labour will have an 11 percentage-point lead. It is not pointing towards a Blair-like landslide, but local election results tend to be less polarised. For every Plymouth (Labour gain) there is a Dudley (Conservative hold).

If Thursday’s results were reflected in a general election, Starmer would be prime minister of a minority government in a hung parliament, or possibly with a tiny majority.

Things can change between now and the actual general election, of course, but the significance of these results is that for Rishi Sunak, they have to.

Read more from my colleague John Rentoul here:

[5 May 2023 22:29 · Sophie Wingate, PA Political Correspondent]

Local election abandoned after death of Tory candidate during count

A local election in Derbyshire has been abandoned after one of the candidates died while counting was under way.

Gillian Lemmon, an incumbent Conservative councillor running for the Hilton ward in South Derbyshire, died on Friday.

She was taken ill a few days ago and her condition “suddenly deteriorated”, her Tory co-candidate Sundip Meghani said.

Mr Meghani was at the count when his co-candidate died at around 12.45pm.

“So many difficult emotions to contend with. On the one hand, obviously the party politics side of things, and then on the other hand of course, something which is far more important, which is the sad demise of our dear friend and the circumstances in which her husband has been left and the family.

“So just a horrific day and so tragic.”

Because Ms Lemmon died before the declaration had been made, the district council’s returning officer decided to abandon the count.

A by-election will take place later this summer for all three seats in the Hilton ward.

[5 May 2023 22:10 · Natalie Crockett]

Voters turned away due to issues with new photo ID rule

Friday’s results come as new photographic ID requirements “regrettably” left some voters unable to vote.

The Electoral Commission said that overall the elections were “well run” but new rules meaning voters must show photo ID posed a challenge and some people were unable to vote as a result.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.”

Opponents of the voter ID requirement claimed thousands of people had been turned away.

You can read more here:

[5 May 2023 22:03 · Jane Dalton]

Only three councils yet to declare

Just three councils in England remain undeclared now after the New Forest was held by the Conservatives.