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Labour has won control of a string of Leave-voting councils as results roll in from the local elections across England and Wales.

The party was also buoyed by victory in the Blackpool South by-election, with a 26.33% swing from the Tories.

Among the key council gains, Labour took Rushmoor in Hampshire, which the Conservatives had run for the last 24 years.

It also seized Redditch in the West Midlands, turning a Conservative majority of five into a Labour majority of 15.

Read more:
Winners and losers
Follow the results as they come in

And Labour has retaken Hartlepool Council – the scene of a major by-election loss back in 2021, which led Sir Keir Starmer to consider quitting as leader – and Thurrock in Essex, from no overall control, saying it was “exactly the kind of place we need to be winning to gain a majority in a general election”.

And the party replaced the Tories as the largest party on Peterborough Council which, while remaining under no overall control, saw the Conservatives lose 13 of the 16 seats they were defending.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives lost control of North East Lincolnshire after Labour won five of the seats up for grabs – with neither party now holding a majority on the council.

All six areas overwhelmingly voted Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum, with Thurrock supporting it by 72.3%, North East Lincolnshire by 69.9%, Hartlepool by 69.6%, Redditch by 62.3%, Peterborough by 60.9% and Rushmoor by 58.2%.

However, Labour lost control in its traditional heartland of Oldham, which has a large Muslim population, with many blaming the party’s stance on the conflict in Gaza.

And while keeping its grip on Newcastle, it saw a number of seats fall to the Greens.

The Tories also clung on by a single seat in Harlow, a council targeted by Sir Keir on the eve of polling day.

Key results at a glance

Redditch – Labour gain from the Tories

HartlepoolLabour gain from no overall control

RushmoorLabour grabbed from the Conservatives

Thurrock a Labour gain from no overall control

North East Lincolnshire – lost by the Tories to no overall control

Harlow – the Tories managed to just about hang on against a challenge from Labour

Pic Getty
Image:
Pic: Getty

In other important developments:

• Labour held on to Sunderland Council
• It also kept control of South Tyneside and Chorley
• The Tories held on to other councils in Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Essex

More than 2,600 council seats across 107 councils were up for grabs in England, alongside 11 mayoral elections, a parliamentary seat and police and crime commissioners throughout England and Wales – with many of the results still coming in.

But early signs show Labour is winning back seats in areas it lost over the Brexit debate, as well as making gains in traditionally Tory voting councils.

Read more:
Labour gains new MP with Blackpool by-election win

Sky’s election coverage plan – how to follow

Friday: From 10am lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge and chief presenter Mark Austin is joined by political editor Beth Rigby and Sam Coates throughout the day, as well as economics and data editor Ed Conway and Professor Michael Thrasher.

Friday night: From 7pm until 9pm, Sophy Ridge will host a special edition of the Politics Hub, offering a full analysis and breakdown of the local elections.

The weekend: Sophy Ridge will host another special edition of the Politics Hub on Saturday from 7pm until 9pm. And Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips will take a look back over what’s happened from 8.30am until 10am.

How do I watch?: Freeview 233, Sky 501, Virgin 603, BT 313, YouTube and the Sky News website and app. You can also watch Sky News live here, and on YouTube.

And the Electoral Dysfunction podcast with Beth Rigby, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson will go out on Friday, and Politics at Jack and Sam’s will navigate the big question of where the results leave us ahead of a general election on Sunday.

We’ll also have the latest on the politics page of our website.

‘People crying out for change’ – Labour

Tory party chairman Richard Holden told Sky News it had been a “tough night” for the Conservatives, but argued it was coming off a “very high watermark set of elections in 2021” and “typical for a government in midterm”.

But he said: “I do feel sorry for a lot of my Conservative colleagues who have been out campaigning with across the country over the last few weeks and months who haven’t managed to hold their seats.”

However, he argued voters had not suggested they want to see “more change” within the Conservative Party, when pressed over Rishi Sunak’s position as leader and insisted the party “will be ready” whenever the election was called.

Analysis: Not all going Starmer’s way with Reform posing real threat

By Professor Michael Thrasher, Sky News elections analyst

Election results declared overnight have clearly demonstrated that the Conservatives are in serious trouble.

A by-election defeat in Blackpool South at the hands of Labour, the seventh this parliament.

In the local council elections the Conservatives are losing seats in numbers that suggest this could be one of the party’s worst ever performances.

But Conservative council seat losses have not been Labour’s gain with Sir Keir Starmer’s party more or less static in terms of vote share compared with its results from last year’s May elections.

The picture of net seat gains and losses is intriguing.

Labour leads the way but it is having to share the headlines with seat gains made at the Conservatives’ expense by the Liberal Democrats, Greens and a range of local independents.

Close comparisons of change in vote share demonstrated that support for Reform is real and will hurt the Conservatives if played out at the next general election.

Read more from Sky News elections analyst Professor Michael Thrasher here

Labour’s shadow environment secretary Steve Reed told Sky News that while it was “early days”, the results so far were showing positive signs for Labour come the next general election.

“These are not polls,” he said. “These are people getting off their backsides, going out of their homes, into a polling station, putting a cross on a party that they want to govern their local area.

“People are crying out for change. I know that from speaking to people on the doorsteps and tonight, it looks like people around the country are voting for change.”

But while Tory MP James Daly said he “fully accepts” the loss of these councils, he insisted to Sky News his party could “still win in parts of the country where historically Labour have dominated” – including in Teeside, where Conservative Lord Houchen is defending his mayoralty.

Analysis:
Story of the night in charts
Blackpool is a big step to No 10 for Starmer
Tories in real trouble but Reform threat not all good for Labour

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‘A good night for Labour’

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Tories better some predictions but Lib Dems ‘buoyed’

The Conservatives bucked predictions in Harlow in Essex where it managed to keep control of the council – although its majority fell from 11 to one, and Labour gained five seats.

The party also held on to Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire – an authority it has run for its entire 52-year history – and Fareham in Hampshire, though in the latter the Liberal Democrats picked up four seats.

A Lib Dem source said they were “buoyed” by their results overnight, claiming it set them up to take seats off the Tories at the next election.

“This is just a taster of what is to come throughout Friday in the Blue Wall,” they added.

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‘We’re surging, they’re sinking’

Reform UK is performing well, racking up an average vote share of between 14% and 15%, and pushing the Conservatives into third place in some areas, including Sunderland.

However, it isn’t fielding candidates everywhere – instead targeting Leave seats where its predecessors, the Brexit Party and UKIP, performed well – and has yet to win a seat or council for itself.

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Toncoin open interest soars 67% as Pavel Durov departs France

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Toncoin open interest soars 67% as Pavel Durov departs France

Toncoin open interest soars 67% as Pavel Durov departs France

Toncoin Open Interest (OI) has jumped 67% over the past 24 hours amid reports of Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s departure from France, where he had been required to stay since his arrest seven months ago.

On March 15, Toncoin (TON) OI  — a metric tracking the total number of unsettled Toncoin derivative contracts such as options and futures —  reached $169 million, representing a 67% increase from the previous day when the reports of Durov’s departure first surfaced, according to CoinGlass data.

Toncoin open interest reaches highest level in 42 days

It is the highest level of OI in Toncoin since Feb. 1, when it was sitting at $171.49 million.

TON is The Open Network’s native cryptocurrency and is the exclusive blockchain infrastructure for Telegram’s Mini App ecosystem.

Toncoin open interest soars 67% as Pavel Durov departs France

Toncoin open interest surged 67% on March 15. Source: CoinGlass

TON’s price jumped 17% over the same 24-hour period, trading at $3.45 at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Trading resource account Crypto Billion said in a March 15 X post that Toncoin is “showing signs of a potential long-term accumulation phase as it stabilizes near key support levels.”

However, if this rally is short-lived, around $18.8 million in long positions could be liquidated if TON’s price falls back toward the $3 level it was trading at on March 14.

Toncoin open interest also surged after arrest in 2024

The court reportedly allowed Durov to travel to Dubai, a city with no extradition agreements with many countries.

The market’s reaction hints at the potential significance of this case for the crypto industry. Many are worried that Durov’s arrest in August 2024 in France could set a precedent for cracking down on other privacy-focused services. He was accused of running a platform that enables illicit transactions.

Related: Bitget predicts TON ‘de-Telegramization’ in the next 2 year

Similarly, when Durov was arrested in August 2024, TON’s OI also surged. 

Following the news of Durov’s arrest on Aug. 24, 2024, TON’s OI spiked 32% over the following 24 hours, alongside its price falling almost 12%.

On Jan. 21, Telegram announced it would cease support for all blockchains other than The Open Network for its messenger services.

Magazine: Vitalik on AI apocalypse, LA Times both-sides KKK, LLM grooming: AI Eye

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Planned freeze to PIP disability benefits set to be scrapped but eligibility criteria could be tighened, say reports

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Planned freeze to PIP disability benefits set to be scrapped but eligibility criteria could be tighened, say reports

Proposals to freeze some dis­ability benefits are reportedly being scrapped after concerns from Labour politicians about the scale of planned welfare cuts.

The work and pensions secretary had been under pressure to cut the benefits bill and was expected to cancel an inflation-linked rise to the personal independence payment (PIP).

But it is reported those plans will be ditched by Liz Kendall, despite the Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisting “we do need to get a grip” on the welfare budget, saying the “current system is not working for anyone”.

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Welfare system ‘letting people down’

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Reforms to the welfare system are expected to be announced this week, ahead of the spring statement on 26 March.

Explainer: Where could welfare cuts be made?

Some MPs fear drastic cuts to support for the most vulnerable, but Ms Kendall may have attempted to partly address concerns from cabinet colleagues and Labour backbenchers about the scale of the reforms.

More on Benefits

Almost four million working-age adults in England and Wales currently claim incapacity or disability benefits, up from 2.8 million before the pandemic.

It is being widely reported that instead of scrapping a rise in PIP, savings could be achieved by changing the eligibility criteria along with cutting the top rate of incapacity benefit.

Ms Kendall told The Sunday Times it was an “absolute principle” to protect welfare payments for people unable to work. “For those who absolutely cannot work, this is not about that,” she said.

She said the number of people on PIP is set to more than double this decade, partly driven by younger people.

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‘Government’s plan to cut welfare is terrifying’

“Increasingly, there is lots of clear evidence that work is good for mental health and physical health too… social security alone for many people will never be the key to a better life. It should be a springboard and not trapping people,” she told the newspaper.

Ms Kendall has revealed plans to give disabled people the right to try employment without the risk of losing their benefits.

The so-called “right to try guarantee” aims to prevent those people who receive health-related benefits from having their entitlements automatically re-assessed if they enter employment.

The Observer said the details are due to be announced as part of a green paper on Tuesday.

Read more from Sky News:
Welfare cuts could trigger backbench fight
Tough choices the chancellor has to make
Harriet Harman: Stop briefing against DWP

Research published in February by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed the number of 16 to 34 year-olds who are long-term sick with a mental health condition has reached 270,000, increasing by 60,000 (26%) in the last year alone.

Some on benefits ‘taking the mickey’

The figure for all working-age people is 790,000, an increase of 140,000 (22%) over the last year.

Responding at the time to those figures, Ms Kendall said some people on benefits were “taking the mickey”.

“I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough – we have to end that,” she told ITV News.

The same survey found 200,000 people receiving health-related or disability benefits were ready to work if the right job or support was available.

Welfare cuts are supported by the Conservatives, albeit the party has accused Labour of “dithering, delay and division” on the issue.

Meanwhile, the SNP argues any planned cuts to disability payments should be “abandoned”, and disability charities have expressed a similar view.

Sky News’ Trevor Phillips will be looking at all the political headlines this week from 8.30am this morning. He will be joined by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, shadow education secretary Laura Trott and former national security adviser Lord Ricketts.

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The two big unknowns left up in the air after Starmer’s ‘coalition of the willing’ Ukraine summit

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The two big unknowns left up in the air after Starmer's 'coalition of the willing' Ukraine summit

There was one clear, united message from today’s virtual meeting of leaders – that they rejected Vladimir Putin’s “yes, but” approach to a ceasefire.

The “coalition of the willing” – the 27 leaders, plus NATO and the EU led by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron – want the Russian president to mirror Ukraine’s pledge for a 30-day pause in fighting, in order to hammer out a sustainable peace deal.

Sir Keir made that very clear, and suggested the attendees at the meeting were behind this approach.

Ukraine war latest: Putin’s ceasefire conditions ‘not good enough’

The prime minister said: “Volodymyr [Zelenskyy] has committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, but Mr Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place.

“Well, the world needs action, not a study, not empty words and conditions. So my message is very clear. Sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table.”

Sir Keir Starmer holding a virtual meeting with European leaders. Pic: Downing Street
Image:
‘Coalition of the willing’. Pic: Downing Street

There are two reasons for this challenge – an immediate end to fighting is a goal in itself, but many of those in today’s call, including Sir Keir, do not trust Mr Putin to uphold promises on peace and are trying to convince US President Donald Trump to be more clear-eyed about the Russian approach.

Challenging the Russian leader to follow the US request for a ceasefire and watching him refuse is designed to send a message to the White House as well as the Kremlin.

There were, however, bigger unknowns left hanging.

Read more from Sky News:
Russian captain of North Sea crash ship appears in court
At least 17 dead in US storms

One of which was the clear signal from Sir Keir that he is still relying on a US security guarantee in order to bring on board a “coalition of the willing” who might be able to provide troops to Ukraine.

There are, however, many that don’t think that that US security guarantee is coming in any substantial way, based on the noises coming out of the US.

That is a big problem for the PM, as government sources tell me that the scope and the remit of any potential peacekeeping force is determined by what protection the US might be able to provide.

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The second issue that is being sidestepped by Sir Keir is what any peace keeping might be able to do in practice.

UK troops, like those of any NATO country, cannot engage directly with Russia in combat for fear of triggering a much bigger conflagration.

So if not that, then what is their purpose – a question repeatedly asked by experts like the former national security adviser Lord Ricketts.

I put exactly this to the PM, but did not get an answer. He suggested that we were a long way away from getting an an answer, even though military chiefs also appear to be meeting to “operationalise” plans on Thursday.

How can they operationalise a plan that does not, and currently cannot, have a remit?

Today Sir Keir heralded the participation of Canada, Australia and New Zealand on the call, as part of the effort.

But if the remit of the coalition of the willing isn’t clear, how can it truly be effective?

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