By Ben Kerrigan-
Labour has pulled off a historic victory in the Tory council of Westminster — a seat held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1964.
It came just hours after Tories also lost its “crown jewel” of Wandsworth, which the Labour Party last held 44 years ago in 1978, in a major blow to Boris Johnson.
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The loss of council seats across the country has prompted local Conservative leaders to call upon Boris Johnson to “take a good, strong look in the mirror”, while former No 10 chief of staff Lord Gavin Barwell called the defeats “catastrophic.”
The key Tory councils of Wandsworth and Westminster was won by Labour on a night that produced a dismal showing for the Conservatives.
Keir Starmer was welcomed by a cheering crowd of supporters as he arrived in Barnet on Friday morning.
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The Labour leader shouted the names of councils the party had gained overnight in the local elections, including Barnet, Wandsworth and Westminster, with each one being applauded. Mr Starmer said the results “sent a message to the Prime Minister that Britain deserves better” as he thanked the Labour team in Barnet for its efforts.
Alongside over 4,300 councillors being voted on in England, all of Scotland’s 32 councils, and Wales’ 22 have been decided.
Ahead of polling day, his critics within the party were briefing that a defeat could trigger a leadership contest as a number of trade unions were reported to be backing a challenge by his deputy, Angela Rayner.
Starmer tried to demote Rayner in a reshuffle after May’s byelection defeat in Hartlepool, but he botched the manoeuvre so badly that she emerged stronger afterwards. Since then her allies have become more outspoken in their criticism of Starmer’s leadership and more candid about Rayner’s ambition to replace him.
Perhaps most significantly for the future of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland’s Assembly has been voted on as well – the outcome of which could impact the future of the union.
One Conservative council leader went far enough to say the Prime Minister should be moved on after his party suffered defeats in a local election.
And another called for Boris Johnson to “take a good, strong look in the mirror” because of council losses in his area.
The biggest upset of the election so far came when Labour seized Wandsworth from the Tories.
A Labour source said: “Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories’ jewel in the crown.”
Meanwhile, it is looking like a good night for the Lib Dems, who managed the first major swing of the night by winning Hull from Labour. After their victory, Baroness Kramer said it was “a community that in a sense has been taken for granted frankly by both Labour and Conservatives”.
The local election results in England so far are good for Labour without being great, chief political commentator John Rentoul writes. Labour has done well in London but less well elsewhere. The Conservatives have done badly in areas with a lot of graduates but actually gained support in areas with few graduates.
In London, Labour has gained control of visible and symbolic councils: Westminster, which has never been Labour; Wandsworth, a Tory beacon of low council taxes; and Barnet, with a significant Jewish population.
As Prime Minister, Boris Johnson faced criticism from some Conservative council leaders over partygate, the defiant Tory leader told reporters the Tories were still “going forward” in parts of the country, with some “remarkable” gains outside its historic strongholds.
Boris Johnson admitted the Conservatives suffered a “tough night” in the local council elections in England amid historic losses in Wandsworth and Westminster
The prime minister said it has been a “mixed set of results” for the Tories with gains in some places and losses in others.
Labour has pulled off a historic victory in the Tory council of Westminster — a seat held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1964.
The Conservatives also lost their “crown jewel” of Wandsworth, which the Labour Party last held 44 years ago in 1978, in a major blow to Mr Johnson.
The loss of council seats across the country has heaped further pressure on him from local Conservative leaders.
With just under half the local election counts for England completed, the Tories are on track to lose about 250 council seats in total, according to polling expert Sir John Curtis.
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