Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Conservatives do better than expected in local elections

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative party fared better than expected in local elections in England, early results on Friday (4) showed, in her first test since losing her parliamentary majority last year.

The party held on to key London councils despite a big push by the main opposition Labour party, which admitted its results so far had been "mixed".


The UK Independence Party (UKIP), which has seen its support collapse since the 2016 vote for Brexit, were all but wiped out, while the pro-European Liberal Democrat party made gains.

Labour's leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn had sought to make the vote about national spending cuts, building on a campaign that deprived the government of its majority in parliament in last year's general election.

May had also had a difficult week, with divisions erupting once again in her cabinet over Brexit and the resignation of a top minister last weekend over an immigration scandal.

"We've done better than expected," Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis told Sky News.

"We have seen Labour - who thought they would be sweeping the board in London - thus far not gaining a single council in London."

Labour's national election coordinator, Andrew Gwynne, admitted it was a "mixed picture" and said the Conservatives had benefited from the collapse of UKIP.

Labour's goal to win Conservative strongholds such as Westminster and Wandsworth in London was always going to be hard and though the party gained seats, it failed to take control.

Its failure to take Barnet, a northern suburb with a large Jewish population that was Labour's top target in the capital, is likely to be more heavily scrutinised in the context of an ongoing row over anti-Semitism in the party.

The Conservatives held Kensington and Chelsea, where they had faced severe criticism over last year's devastating Grenfell Tower fire that killed 71 people, but with a smaller majority.

However, May's party lost control of Trafford, its flagship council in northwestern England, where no party won a majority in what Labour described as a "huge coup".

It also lost the strongly anti-Brexit London borough of Richmond upon Thames to the Liberal Democrats, which had courted EU citizens' vote.

"At present it looks like a better night for the Conservatives than many would have anticipated, while Labour results have not quite lived up to expectations," said Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGiU, a local government think tank.

"The picture emerging is that Labour has gone backwards slightly from 2014," when these council seats were last contested, added Matt Singh of Number Cruncher Politics.

"Opposition parties are supposed to do well in mid-term contests, and these aren't the results of one that's about to storm the next general election," he said.

National issues often factor in the local elections, but so too do questions of local tax rates, bin collection and the state of the roads.

It was too early to assess turnout but it is normally low - only around one third of voters cast their ballot in last year's local elections, compared to 69 percent in the national vote in June.

Full results are not expected until late on Friday.

AFP

More For You

scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sanger-Tribute

Indian high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami speaking at the memorial.

Bhavan London pays tribute to Joginder Sanger

BHAVAN LONDON held a tribute event on 27 March to honour Joginder Sanger, a British Indian hotelier and philanthropist who passed away at 82 on 28 February.

Sanger, born in Jalandhar, India, established several London hotels, including the Washington Mayfair Hotel, Courthouse Hotels in Soho and Shoreditch, and the Bentley in Kensington.

Keep ReadingShow less
Imran-Khan-Getty

Imran Khan, founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been in jail since August 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on human rights and democracy.

The nomination was announced by members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA), an advocacy group formed in December, who are also part of the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum.

Keep ReadingShow less