Conservative Party Suffers Crushing Defeat in Local Elections as Labor Celebrates

After the quarrels over Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the local elections in England were an important test of mood for the ruling Tories – and it ended in disappointment. The Labor Party, on the other hand, was able to celebrate.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party suffered a crushing defeat in the local elections in England. By evening, the Tories had already lost more than 1,000 local council seats. This made it clear: for the first time since 2002, the opposition party Labor is the strongest force in the country, having gained 500 seats at local level. The British had given Sunak a clear rejection, said a Labor spokesman.

Some were already comparing the results to the 1996 local elections, which preceded the overwhelming Labor victory under ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair in the general election a year later. The vote was considered the first mood test for Sunak – and this time, too, a parliamentary election will follow in just over a year. Sky News correspondent Beth Rigby spoke of a “nightmare scenario”.

“It’s always disappointing to lose hard-working, conservative local councillors,” Sunak said. However, he does not see any “massive growth in a movement towards Labor,” said the prime minister.

Sunak under pressure

With the bitter defeat, the prime minister, who had actually stabilized the party again in his almost 200 days in office, is coming under pressure. After the scandals of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, Sunak managed to get the conversation going again, not just about guys – and their missteps.

People wanted the Conservatives to deliver, Sunak said in the morning: “Having inflation in half, boosting the economy, shortening health service waiting lists and stopping refugee boats, that’s what voters wanted and that’s what we’re working hard on.”

The election result could now ruin the good mood. Critics within the party accuse the 42-year-old of lacking the campaign strength of his predecessor Johnson. Sunak appears deliberately relaxed and smart. In conversations with citizens, however, the wealthy ex-investment banker does not come across as naturally as the down-to-earth populist Johnson. In a first reaction, the prime minister was optimistic and spoke of good results in some hard-fought districts.

“Disaster for the Conservatives”

But observers saw it differently: “Today’s local elections are a disaster for the conservatives,” emphasized the Byline Times portal. A scene with cabinet member Johnny Mercer reflected the mood almost symbolically: While the MP for Plymouth spoke live on the BBC of a “terrible night” for his party, it was announced in the background that Labor would be in charge of the southern English port in the future. Loud cheers made Mercer swoon silent.

The question of who is to blame for the election disaster could now lead to a new dispute in the Conservative Party. Voices are already being raised from the right wing that the “overthrow” of two prime ministers by the Sunak camp would nullify the Tories’ mandate won by Boris Johnson in 2019. A clear edge is now the order of the day, but Sunak delivers “super high taxes, high spending, open borders,” as former MEP John Longworth criticized.

Former Prime Minister Johnson has been lurking since his forced departure from Downing Street for a new chance, and short-term Prime Minister Truss is now speaking again. A grassroots conference has been announced for next week. Several Johnson supporters have announced themselves. Former Brexit Minister David Davis, on the other hand, is targeting the ex-prime ministers. “It is obvious that we are paying the price for the end of the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss era,” Davis said. The party will now be punished for this.

Labor benefits and sees itself on the upswing

The clear winner of the election is Labor, the party – like the Liberal Democrats, which are traditionally strong in local elections – was able to gain ground across the country. The Social Democrats not only recaptured several old bastions that are considered Brexit strongholds and had recently switched to the Tories. Some local authorities that have shone in Tory blue for decades, such as East Staffordshire in the Midlands, are now gleaming in Labor red.

Party leader Keir Starmer sees his party on the way to a clear majority in parliament. He thanked the campaigners and candidates. “You guys did a great job. You didn’t just get the win, you brought Labor back with a bang,” said a beaming starmer in the Medway constituency. “We have fantastic results across the country. We are on course for a majority in the next general election.”

Analysts were much more cautious. The broadcaster Sky News converted the results to a nationwide election. The result: Labor would be the strongest party in Parliament, but the party that last governed until 2010 would not have its own majority. The Conservatives are already trying to capitalize on the poor result. Tory Secretary General Greg Hands spoke of a “massive wake-up call” in a newsletter. “If we’re going to stop Keir Starmer, we must be united.”

With information from Christoph Prössl, ARD Studio London