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.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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.
More than 100 politicians from 24 different countries, including the UK, the US and the EU, have written a joint letter condemning China over the “arbitrary detention and unfair trial” of Jimmy Lai, a tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner.
The parliamentarians, led by senior British Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, are “urgently” demanding the immediate release of the 77-year-old British citizen, who has been held in solitary confinement at a maximum security prison in Hong Kong for almost four years.
The letter – which will be embarrassing for Beijing – was made public on the eve of Mr Lai’s trial resuming and on the day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a G20 summit of economic powers in Brazil.
It also comes as Hong Kong jailed 45 pro-democracy activists.
The group of politicians, who also include representatives from Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Ukraine and France, said Mr Lai’s treatment was “inhumane”.
“He is being tried on trumped-up charges arising from his peaceful promotion of democracy, his journalism and his human rights advocacy,” they wrote in the letter, which has been seen by Sky News.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Starmer meets Chinese president
“The world is watching as the rule of law, media freedom and human rights in Hong Kong are eroded and undermined.
“We stand together in our defence of these fundamental freedoms and in our demand that Jimmy Lai be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Sir Keir raised the case of Mr Lai during remarks released at the start of his talks with Mr Xi on Monday – the first meeting between a British prime minister and the Chinese leader in six years.
The prime minister could be heard expressing concerns about reports of Mr Lai’s deteriorating health. However, he did not appear to call for his immediate release.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From October: ‘This is what Hong Kong is’
Ms Kearns, the MP for Rutland and Stamford in the East Midlands, said the meeting had been an opportunity to be unequivocal that the UK expects Mr Lai to be freed.
“Jimmy Lai is being inhumanely persecuted for standing up for basic human values,” she said in a statement, released alongside the letter.
“He represents the flame of freedom millions seek around the world.
“We have a duty to fight for Jimmy Lai as a British citizen, and to take a stand against the Chinese Community Party’s erosion of rule of law in Hong Kong.
Read more:
Son of Jimmy Lai calls for ‘urgent’ UK intervention
Calls for Starmer to condemn pro-democracy campaigner sentencing
Lammy faces complicated issues on China visit
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
“This letter represents the strength of international feeling and commitment of parliamentarians globally to securing Jimmy Lai’s immediate release and return to the UK with his family.”
Mr Lai was famously the proprietor of the Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily in Hong Kong, which wrote scathing reports about the local authorities and the communist government in mainland China after Britain handed back the territory to Beijing in 1997.
The tabloid was a strong supporter of pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets of Hong Kong to demonstrate against the government in 2019.
But the media mogul was arrested the following year – one of the first victims of a draconian new security law imposed by the Chinese Communist Party.
His newspaper was closed after his bank accounts were frozen.
Mr Lai has since been convicted of illegal assembly and fraud. He is now on trial for sedition over articles published in Apple Daily.
World
Hong Kong jails 45 pro-democracy activists after accusing them of trying to overthrow the city’s government
Forty-five pro-democracy activists have been jailed in Hong Kong’s largest ever national security trial.
The activists sentenced with jail terms ranging from four years to ten years were accused of conspiracy to commit subversion after holding an unofficial primary election in Hong Kong in 2020.
They were arrested in 2021.
Hong Kong authorities say the defendants were trying to overthrow the territory’s government.
Democracy activist Benny Tai received the longest sentence of ten years. He became the face of the movement when thousands of protesters took to the city’s streets during the “Umbrella Movement” demonstrations.
However, Hong Kong officials accused him of being behind the plan to organise elections to select candidates.
Tai had pleaded guilty, his lawyers argued he believed his election plan was allowed under the city’s Basic Law.
Another prominent activist Joshua Wong received a sentence of more than four years.
Joshua Wong was sentenced to more than four years Pic: AP
Wong became one of the leading figures in the protests. His activism started as a 15 year old when he spearheaded a huge rally against a government plan to change the school curriculum.
Then in 2019 Hong Kong erupted in protests after the city’s government proposed a bill that would allow extradition to mainland China. It peaked in June 2019 when Amnesty International reported that up to two million people marched on the streets, paralysing parts of Hong Kong’s business district.
The extradition bill was later dropped but it had ignited a movement demanding political change and freedom to elect their own leaders in Hong Kong.
China’s central government called the protests “riots” that could not continue.
Hong Kong introduced a national security law in the aftermath of the protests.
Read more from Sky News:
Sons face ‘devil’ father who let men rape their mum
Russian ballet star dies after ‘fall from building’
Australian politician who heckled King is defiant
A woman is taken away by police outside the court Pic: Reuters
The US has called the trial “politically motivated”.
Dozens of family and friends of the accused were waiting for the verdict outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Court.
British citizen and media mogul Jimmy Lai is due to testify on Wednesday.
Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Brazil, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told China’s President Xi Jinping he’s concerned about the health of Lai.
He faces charges of fraud and the 2019 protests. He has also been charged with sedition and collusion with foreign forces.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports8 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway