Local elections 2023: Tories lose control of councils as Labour gains key authorities in early results
The Conservatives have lost control of seven councils overnight, while Labour have gained three in early local election results.
As dawn broke, Sir Keir Starmer’s party took Medway Council in Kent from Rishi Sunak’s, while the Liberal Democrats took Windsor and Maidenhead – former Prime Minister Theresa May’s constituency.
Overnight, Labour also won Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent from no overall control, while the Tories lost Tamworth, Brentwood, North West Leicestershire, Hertsmere and East Lindsey to no overall control.
Labour – which also won the race for mayor of Middlesbrough – were performing best when it came to seat gains, clocking up over 90 so far, compared with the Conservatives, which have lost more than 140.
But all eyes are on the next few hours when more local authorities could change hands.
Politics live: Follow results in big test for Sunak and Starmer
Voters went to the polls on Thursday to decide who runs services in 230 (out of 317) local authorities across England, with around 8,000 councillors’ seats up for grabs.
Mayors are also being chosen in Bedford, Leicester and Mansfield in what is the biggest round of local elections since 2019.
It’s also the largest test of public opinion this side of the next general election, and Labour’s chance to capitalise on national polls suggesting it is on course to form the next government.
Labour MP and national campaign co-ordinator Shabana Mahmood said the results so far showed her party was “on course” to win a majority at the next election, adding: “We have spent the whole campaign talking about Labour’s plan to tackle the Tory cost of living crisis which is the number one issue for voters.
“Rishi Sunak can’t talk about it because the Tories crashed the economy and they don’t know how to fix it. Tonight has been a disaster for Rishi Sunak as voters punish him for the Tories’ failure.”
A Tory spokesman said it was “always disappointing to lose hardworking local Conservative councillors”.
They added: “We expected it would be a tough night for the party [but] there are still many more results to come with just 25% of seats declaring overnight. There is a long way to go yet.”
Read more: See full elections results as they come in
And it is still early hours at the counts, with only 54 councils having declared.
But Labour has shown sound gains when it comes to both seats and vote share in numerous areas, including Thurrock, Rushmoor and Redditch.
The majority of the councils which have confirmed their results so far only had a third of their seats on the ballot, meaning few authorities have changed hands.
The coming hours will see more councils with all their seats up for grabs – such as the areas that have seen major upsets so far – so a clearer idea of the parties’ performances is yet to emerge.
The next three hours will be critical
The numbers overnight have seen a solid result for Labour.
They have got some high profile wins and they are starting to put on a decent number of seats.
They are also making strong progress in the south and in the north – so they are pretty content with what they’ve seen so far.
The Conservatives, however, are clearly slipping backwards.
It is a bit early to say it is a poor showing, or if it is something considerably worse.
But the next three hours will be critical.
At the moment, the Conservative Party is losing about one in three seats, and if that trend continues, we could be heading towards the 1,000 seat losses some ministers were warning about.
Tory MP and government minister Johnny Mercer, who represents Plymouth, called it “a terrible night” in his constituency as “we lost every seat we stood in”.
He added: “Take it on the chin, learn and go again tomorrow. It’s going to be a fight but I like a fight.”
Meanwhile, Baroness Anderson – a former Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent – said the win in her area meant “everything” to the party.
She told Sky News: “It means that people are willing to listen to us again… I think it means they have forgiven us for having Jeremy Corbyn as leader… and candidly it means they are rejecting the policies of the Conservative Party, which is doing so little for them.”
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Tory MP: ‘Some dissatisfaction’ with govt
Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats are showing early seat gains – currently up by 36.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey called it “a ground-breaking night” for the Lib Dems, and they had “delivered a hammer blow” to the so-called “Blue Wall” of Tory seats.
He added: “The message from voters is clear: they are sick to the back teeth of Rishi Sunak and his out-of-touch Conservative government.”
The Green Party is also currently up by 13 seats.
The seats on offer were last contested in 2019, when Mrs May was weeks away from resigning, and her party lost 1,300 seats.
Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn at the time, also suffered losses with the Lib Dems, Greens and independents coming off best.
Analysis: Is this a new dawn for Labour?
Sixty-two councils expect a result from midnight through to the morning.
More than half the 230 councils file their results in mid to late afternoon, while around 30 are expected to declare their results this evening.
There are no local elections in Scotland or Wales, but voters in Northern Ireland will be able to have their say on 18 May, with 462 seats across 11 local councils up for grabs.
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Vote counting begins as polls close in England
This set of local elections was also the first time voters had to bring ID with them in order to cast their ballot.
After voting ended, the Electoral Commission said “overall, the elections were well run”, but it would begin a fuller analysis to discover the impact.
Its spokesperson said the ID requirement “posed a greater challenge for some groups in society” and “some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result” of the change.
Labour also raised concerns about the new law, with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting telling Sky News: “One eligible voter turned away and disenfranchised is one too many.”
But Tory minister Chris Heaton-Harris called the voter ID requirement a “thoroughly good thing” as it “means that you can be completely sure that your elections are well tested and safe”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is looking at a tough night for the Tories. Pic: AP
Here are the benchmarks from Sky News’ elections analyst Professor Michael Thrasher for what would make a good and bad night for the main parties:
Conservatives
• Fewer than 300 losses: This would see the party winning council seats back from Independents, with Labour and the Lib Dems not prospering.
• 500 losses: The party could argue “mid-term blues” and will assume Labour could be caught before the general election.
• 750 losses: This would indicate a clear swing to Labour, but still less than opinion polls imply.
• 1,000 losses: A very bad night, with a third of all seats defended by the Conservatives lost.
Labour
• 700 gains: The best local elections for at least a decade. Labour would look on its way to becoming the largest party in Westminster, even if short of a majority.
• 450 gains: These results would be better than in 2022, when local elections took place in Greater London.
• 250 gains: A disappointing result for Labour in the context of recent opinion polls.
• Under 150 gains: A step backwards for Labour.
Liberal Democrats
• 150+ gains: Eating into Conservative territory and could put some marginal constituencies in play at the next election.
• 50-100 gains: Comfortable enough in their own heartlands but only modest further progress.
• Fewer than 50 gains: Fewer than 50 gains: Still struggling to pose a real threat to the Conservatives in the south.
Sky News will be bringing you full coverage both on TV and online.
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Read more:
What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
Read more:
Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden
Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0
Pic: AP
Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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