Where do the local elections leave the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems?

Although the results are worse than the Tories hoped, Sunak’s critics are wrong: he is turning the ship round. The question remains as to whether it’s too late, writes Andrew Grice

Labour did well in the local elections but perhaps not quite as well as it privately hoped (PA)

Where do the local election results in England leave the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats? Rishi Sunak’s internal critics have predictably seized on the voters’ first verdict on him as prime minister as evidence that his project is not working.

Although the results are worse than the Tories hoped, Sunak’s critics are wrong: he is turning the ship round, reducing Labour’s lead in the opinion polls from 20 to 15 points. Voters can hardly be blamed for punishing the Tories for the chaos of the Johnson and Truss regimes; they were not really punishing Sunak.

But inevitably, his project is a slow process – and probably too slow with a general election coming next year. That is why these results will provoke the party’s first wobble under his leadership. Sunak will come under pressure to change course rather than doing what he is doing today – sticking doggedly to delivering his much-trumpeted “five priorities” on the economy, NHS and stopping the boats.