Local elections 2023 – live: Tory backlash over ‘terrible’ results as PM urged to ‘do better’

Rishi Sunak is facing pressure from senior Tories MPs to “deliver” on key issues if the party wants to avoid defeat at the next general election, Kate Devlin reports.

The prime minister had to show voters his party had made improvements in areas including the economy and the NHS before they go to the polls again, they said.

One former cabinet minister, who supported Mr Sunak’s bid to become Tory leader, told the Independent he now had to “deliver on his five priorities”, which including lowering waiting lists and inflation.

Lord Barwell, a Tory peer who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff in No 10, said Mr Sunak had to “deliver improvements on the key issues that matter”, including growing the economy.

In a general election, Labour would have a nine-point lead over the Conservatives based on today’s results, if all of Britain voted, the BBC is projecting.

Greens have taken control of Mid Suffolk, winning 18 of the council’s 34 seats, with eight more results to be declared.

It is the first council they have controlled outright.

With results declared from 102 out of 230 councils, the Conservatives had lost 278 seats, while Labour gained 219, the Liberal Democrats gained 104 and the Greens gained 43.

The Conservatives had lost control of 19 councils, while Labour had taken control of six and the Lib Dems had taken control of three.

The headline picture emerging from these results is one of Tory collapse – but not necessarily vast Labour gains, writes Jon Stone.

Tory losses have been distributed quite widely among opposition parties: with around half of councils declared, Labour are up 220 seats – but the Liberal Democrats are up 89 and the Greens 81.

Election guru Michael Thrasher, of the famous Rawlings and Trasher projections, says his analysis of the data so far points to Labour as the largest party in a hung parliament.

But he says the projection necessarily doesn’t take into account changes in Scotland – where the SNP has taken a polling hit.

“Labour are set to become the largest party, but in a hung parliament. So a very good result, but not quite getting over the line,” he told Sky News.

He added that it was a “reasonable argument to make” that winning seats in Scotland could take Labour over the line.

“Whether there would be enough seats: Labour doesn’t form a majority government in the UK without a big number of seats coming to them from Scotland,” he said.

Sir John Curtice, one of the UK’s top elections experts, said earlier in the day that dissatisfaction with the Conservatives appeared to be driving the results – but that this could still take Labour over the line if repeated at a general election.

“If the Conservatives are doing very badly, even if Labour aren’t advancing very much, that might still be sufficient to enable Labour to win a general election,” he told the BBC’s PoliticsLive programme.

Tory chairman Greg Hands has described the local election results as a “massive wake up call” for his party, Kate Devlin reports.

“These local elections are a massive wake-up call. If you want to stop Keir Starmer, then we have to come together now,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Hands expressed disappointment about the Conservatives losing control of Medway Council to Labour, but attempted to downplay the opposition’s chances at a general election.

The Conservative Party chairman told Sky News: “There’s areas, of course, that we’re disappointed. I was in Medway during the course of the campaign.

“But equally there are areas that Labour need to win to show that they’re making progress and I don’t think they’re making the comprehensive progress that they need to make.”

A Lib Dem councillor who exploited a loophole in electoral law to win a second seat has been urged to resign.

Chris Twells, who won a seat on Salford council last year in the Ordsall ward, stood as what his own party insisted was a “paper candidate” in the Cotswolds – and won.

Paul Dennett, the Labour mayor of Salford, called on Mr Twells to “do the right thing” and give up his seat in Salford after winning the second 160 miles away.

It is legal for someone to be a councillor for two different local authorities, as long as they do not lie on the nomination forms when they stand for election about where they live.

To become a councillor, candidates must be registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election.

Labour has won control of Swindon from the Tories – one of the party’s key target seats.

Labour won 29 council seats overall, compared to the Conservative Party’s 22.

The Lib Dems took one seat.

Labour also gained Blackpool from no overall control.

Liberal Democrat business spokeswoman Sarah Olney said the party had ridden to success on a wave of “anti-Tory” sentiment.

She said voters were being driven away from the Conservatives by the party’s mishandling of the economy and misconduct by MPs and ministers – especially Boris Johnson.

“There is no doubt the Tory vote is dropping off a cliff. We are not seeing a huge rush to Labour and are benefitting from people thinking ‘who is the best person in our area to beat the Tories?’, she said.

Ms Olney told The Independent voters are complaining about “economics, economics, economics”, and “can’t stand” the conduct of senior Tories.

She added: “They thought Boris Johnson’s personal conduct was shambolic and embarrassing, and these are professional people who own businesses.“These people are looking at the amount they are going to pay on their mortgages and the higher taxes they are facing.“That, and the current shambles, is just not what you vote Conservative for.”

Ms Olney said the party’s focus is not on acting as a power-broker at the next general election, but “trying to win as many seats as we can”. “It is not going to be like 2010, I doubt there will be a formal coalition.

Our priorities will be around voting reform and our focus now is about maximising those seats,” she said.