Local elections outcomes 2024 stay: Labour takes Blackpool South as Tories set for ‘catastrophic’ 500-seat loss | EUROtoday

Counting is beneath approach within the 107 councils in England that held elections on Thursday, with the primary outcomes declared in a single day and extra to come back in a while Friday.

Early outcomes for the police & crime commissioner elections throughout England and Wales have additionally been declared, whereas outcomes are due on Friday afternoon for the mayors within the East Midlands, North East, Tees Valley and York & North Yorkshire.

There was additionally a byelection in Blackpool South – which noticed Labour take the seat from the Conservatives with 58.9 per cent of the vote share.

Labour’s candidate Chris Webb obtained 10,825 votes, with the Tories trailing far behind with simply 3,218 and Reform behind with simply 3,218.

Here are a few of the key outcomes to this point:

The Labour Party received management of the council for the primary time since 2019 due to a internet acquire of seven seats, whereas the Tories misplaced six.

While Labour did make progress in Harlow in Thursday’s council elections, it fell wanting an general majority by the narrowest of margins, ending up with 16 seats, only one behind the Tories on 17.

The celebration gained seven seats and a majority on Rushmoor council, an space that features the military city of Aldershot, whereas the Tories misplaced eight seats and general management.

Labour will probably be happy with its efficiency within the Worcestershire council of Redditch – one other essential battleground on the common election – the place the celebration picked up 9 seats and general management, whereas the Conservatives noticed their tally drop by 11.

It was a much less cheery image for Labour in South Tyneside, the place the celebration suffered a internet lack of 10 seats. Independent candidates gained 9 seats and the Greens gained two, whereas the Tories misplaced their solely councillor.

Labour nonetheless has a majority right here, however solely simply: the brand new council could have 28 Labour councillors, 15 Independents and 11 Greens.

The Reform Party had a full or near-full slate of candidates in solely a handful of councils holding elections this 12 months and Sunderland was one of some locations the place it fought each seat.

While the celebration didn’t win any of them, it did beat the Conservatives into third place in 16 of the 25 seats up for grabs whereas Labour made a internet acquire of six to extend its snug majority.

This Essex council was one other one in all Labour’s prime targets in a key Conservative-Labour election battleground.

The celebration wanted to achieve six seats to take management of Thurrock, which has been run by the Tories for the previous few years throughout a interval of turbulence that noticed the council declared successfully bankrupt in December 2022.

Labour ended up making a internet acquire of eight seats, sufficient for a transparent majority, with Independents choosing up two and the Tories struggling a internet lack of 10.

There had been “no major problems” with new voter ID guidelines throughout yesterday’s elections, the chief of the Electoral Commission mentioned.

Chief govt Vijay Rangarajan mentioned it didn’t appear to be there have been “very many” individuals who made forgot identification on the day.

He instructed the BBC’s Today programme that campaigns to lift consciousness of voter ID guidelines had been largely profitable, and that any points individuals skilled had been simply “teething problems”.

Asked about veterans whose Veteran Cards weren’t accepted – since they’re not on the record of accepted IDs – Rangarajan says the federal government ought to look to increase the record of ID playing cards accepted for elections.

“We’ve not seen any major problems so far,” he mentioned, including the Electoral Commission will now do “quite a lot of analysis” to study classes for future elections.

Former Tory MP Lee Anderson has mentioned Reform are “here to stay” following his defection to the celebration and it vote share in Blackpool.

“We’re here to stay. We’re making in-roads,” he says. “Our trajectory is going up and up and up and the Tory party is going down and down and down.”

Asked if Reform standing could have harmed the Conservatives’ end result, he says Labour is profitable “50-60% of the vote” in a number of areas, which means Labour nonetheless would have received even when Reform didn’t stand.

Pat McFadden has admitted the disaster in Gaza has been an “issue” and “does get raised” when requested about Labour’s lack of management in Oldham.

The celebration’s nationwide marketing campaign coordinator instructed BBC Breakfast: “I do think that’s been a factor in some places, I don’t think there’s any point in denying that. It does get raised, and I understand why people have strong feelings about that.”

He mentioned that with “so many innocent people being killed I’m not surprised people have strong feelings about that”.

Labour has held Southampton City Council.

Good morning. So far, 35 out of 107 councils have declared outcomes.

Labour has received 3 councils, with a rise of 52 councillors general.

The Conservatives have misplaced 3 councils and 121 councillors throughout the nation.

A number one politics professor has mentioned this 12 months’s native elections may very well be the worst Conservative efficiency in practically 40 years.

Professor John Curtice, of the University of Strathclyde, instructed the BBC: “I think we’re probably looking at one of the worst if not the worst Conservative performances in local government elections in the last 40 years.

“There’s much more to come, but I think we have to conclude that the message from the polls is the Conservative party has not been making significant progress.”