British Elections: Boris Johnson’s party lost hundreds of seats

Local elections in Britain are “a hard night” for Conservatives but not enough to oust Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He was able to keep the “Red Wall”, the Labor working class, which in the north of England continued to vote for the Tories as they continued to defend Brexit.

Labor prevailed in London. Two symbolic places: he won in Westminster, the district where Downing St, Government House, and House of Commons are located, and Wandsworth, Margaret Thatcher district, but they did not gain large territories in other parts of the kingdom.

Like Boris Johnson, its leader Sir Keir Starmer will be investigated for service curry and beer for 30 people in confinement. Labor’s “beer gate” was added to Boris Johnson’s “Partygate” during the Covid pandemic.

The Liberal Democrats they began to live again and they have secured more than 150 seats so far.

A difficult night for conservatives

“We had a rough night in some parts of the country. But on the other hand, in other parts of the countryConservatives are still seen moving forward and is making some remarkable progress, ”said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He said that the results of local elections fThey are “definitely blended” after the Tories lost Wandsworth, Margaret Thatcher’s “favorite council”, Westminster and Barnet in London to Labor. However, Labor gains in other parts of England were more modest.

the party lost more than 250 seats in council in England and also shows losses in Scotland, according to preliminary results. Counting has already begun in Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein could win and become Catholics the first forceaccording to polls, by expelling protesters and leading the Legislative Assembly in Belfast.

The Liberal Democrats have so far won nearly 150 council seats in England and the Greens are doing well as well.

The BBC calculates that, based on these results, if the whole country votes: Labor will have 35% of the voteConservatives 30%, Liberal Democrats 19%and Others 16%.

The Conservatives were given another blow in Somerset, where the Liberal Democrats won a large majority and regained control of the council 13 years after it lost to the Conservatives.

The advancement of the Lib Dems may frighten Conservative MPs, who are weighing in on the future of the prime minister.

Lib-dem advance

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey visited Wimbledon Common, south-west London, to celebrate the party’s local election victories. Signs of the Liberal Democrats ’resurgence may worry Conservative MPs more than Labor’s gains in London.

The vote indicates a threat to the conservative majoritybut Labor is far from taking power.

The Conservatives face the loss of their majority in the House of Commonsif local election results are replicated in a general election, according to a projection by British channel Sky News.

Hung Parliament

The analysis suggests that this means a hating parlamento either hanged parliament “, Where the Conservatives of Prime Minister Boris Johnson are the largest party in Westminster. But 48 seats are lacking in the general majority. The “Hung parliament”, as it is technically called, will create the same problems that Theresa May has in the House of Commons.

The projection is based on local election results from 1,700 districts and an analysis of the change in the share of the vote since 2018 in 87 local authorities. He predicts the Conservatives will have 278 seats, just seven than Labor with 271.

They will not change the leader of the Tory

Conservative leaders blamed the prime minister for the shocking losses, as “Partygate”, Boris ’party during the lockdown, and the astronomical cost of living dominated voter comments.

“It’s pretty bleak. There are now 19 Conservative MPs from London already they will ask for blood. The prime minister is destroying our traditional vote, ”explained a Tory MP from the south of the kingdom.

But Johnson’s allies warned of that it is not yet time to change the leaderwhile they insisted that Labor’s victories lacked what was needed for the party to gain victory in the general election.

Outside London, Labor won Cumberland’s new unitary council, covering the seats held by the Tories, and robbed them of Southampton’s top council. But in high -profile areas, where Labor needs to enter, such as Hartlepool, Peterborough, Redditch and Ipswich, the party failed to take such advice.

Maidstone, whose MP is a Conservative, saw Labor and Green each stand to lose overall control of the Conservative -led council.

While the Conservatives have seen a big drop in support in the south of England, Labor has seen a larger drop to the north.

Rising Lib Dem support in England has seen the party win in Hull, held by Labor, with the Tories in Merton and in West Oxfordshire, which is under David Cameron’s jurisdiction.

Labor enthusiasts

Sir Keir Starmer, speaking from Barnet on Friday morning, remained adamant, saying the results represented a “key turning point for the Labor Party”.

“From the depth of 2019, we are back on track now for the general election, showing the change we have made. The difficulty of the change we have made in the last two years, the difference it has made,” he said.

Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow attorney general, said: “We still have a mountain to climb, we’re not pretending nothing. We’re back, and we’re on the right track to be the next government.”

Labor sources called the success at Wandsworth, known for its low taxes, “monumental”.

“This is the jewel in the crown of the Conservatives,” said a Labor party source. “Wandsworth voters have confidence in the change represented by Keir Starmer’s work,” he said.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said people used their votes send a message to Johnson. He insisted that the Lib Dem’s gains were not protest votes against the government but “a real trend today”, in part because the Tories they are “many defeated”.

No “Partygate” effect.

However, Conservative Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden downplayed the Conservative’s losses when he said the results were “more consistent with what was expected”.

Many Conservative MPs are hoping Thursday’s local election will provide clear evidence of how much damage the Downing Street party scandal has caused Covid partying to their fortunes, and therefore whether they should try or not. to replace their leader. . They seem ready to disappoint.

What could help calm conservative nerves is the main opposition party, Labor, he did not take advantage of the hardships of his opponents.

While Labor’s share of the vote rose by one point in 2018 in London, in the South and Midlands it only remained afloat, while in the North of England the party vote fell. In fact, the party has so far suffered little loss of seats outside the capital.

The Labor Party was keen to claim on Thursday night that it was making “progress”, but clearlye much more ground to be done. The Liberal Democrats appear to be making the biggest progress, with more seats won than Labor.

Paris, correspondent

ap