GRAND SLAM
Local elections 2019: Election wipeout for Tories as they lose more than 1,300 councillors in party’s worst result for 24 years
Labour also suffered in the local elections as furious voters revolted over Brexit
THE Tories were humiliated as they lost more than 1,300 seats at local elections - the party's worst result for 24 years.
Conservatives lost control of 44 councils as fuming Brits abandoned them - but Labour also lost seats in a terrible result for Jeremy Corbyn's party.
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Theresa May was braced for big losses with pollsters predicting 800 of the party's councillors would be kicked out, but the actual result turned out to be even worse than the direst predictions.
It was the Tories' worst local election showing since the low point under John Major when they lost more than 2,000 seats in 1995.
Mrs May vowed to listen to voters who dealt a bloody nose to both main parties, and finally deliver on the EU referendum result.
Speaking in North Wales today, she said: "These were always going to be difficult elections for us and there were some challenging results for us last night. But it was a bad night for Labour too.
"I think there was a simple message from yesterday's elections to both us and the Labour party - just get on and deliver Brexit."
On a visit to Trafford - one of just a handful of Labour gains as the party lost six councils overall - Jeremy Corbyn said: "I wanted us to do better, of course.
"We've lost some seats across the country, of course I acknowledge that - we've also had swings to Labour in a number of places and also gained seats in several places."
Labour failed to make the gains they wanted in key areas - and lost councils such as Darlington, Walsall and Hartlepool.
Meanwhile the Lib Dems gained control of ten councils and added more than 700 seats. And hundreds more independent candidates won than when the same seats were contested four years ago.
Neither Nigel Farage's Brexit Party nor the pro-EU Change UK was standing in the local elections, and turnout was expected to be very low.
But a reported 30,000 angry voters spoiled their ballot papers, many in protest at Brexit delays.
If the results were mirrored in a general election, the Tories and Labour would be tied on 28 per cent each with the Lib Dems winning 19 per cent.
For the full results in your local area, click here.
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Polls closed at 10pm on Thursday in 248 council areas of England, as well as the whole of Northern Ireland - and results have been coming in throughout Friday. So far:
- The Tories have lost 44 councils and Labour dropped six
- Lib Dems picked up hundreds of seats and declared victory overnight
- Greens and Independents also made gains as the big parties suffered
- Furious Brexit voters spoiled their ballots rather than back either main party
- The PM was heckled by a Conservative activist as she gave a speech
- Jeremy Corbyn's team admitted they will have to help Theresa May deliver on our EU exit
Tory Chairman Brandon Lewis said this morning it had been a "tough night" but he urged Labour to "stop up and respect the referendum".
And Jeremy Hunt admitted the results "look like a slap in the face for both the main parties", while Scottish Tories chief Ruth Davidson said: "It seems to be a plague on both your houses."
Tory MP Vicky Ford said she was "gutted" to see Chelmsford council go to the Liberal Democrats overnight. "It's been brutal," she said.
Party veteran Sir David Amess blasted: "The results are absolutely dreadful" - and called on the PM to quit as soon as possible.
Ex-minister Mark Francois warned the Euro elections later this month would be even more disastrous, saying: "In a tsunami the sea goes out, and comes crashing back in.
"This is the sea going out. May 23 will be an absolute tsunami."
GRASSROOTS REVOLT
But grassroots Tories across the country vented their fury and disappointment with their party after a difficult night for them.
Tony Berry, the leader of the Tories on Cotswold District Council, who have lost the council to Liberal Democrats after 16 years in charge, blasted: "I would ask [Theresa May] to consider her position very carefully".
He blamed Brexit and ";professional politicians who are basically working for themselves rather than necessarily what is best for the country."
Even top Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg was hit by the backlash - as the Tory councillor for his Somerset neighbourhood was beaten by a Lib Dem.
Defeated Tim Warren said last night that people wanted to "punish us for a lack of action in Government."
"There needs to be a change in action," he stressed. "The electorate have spoken tonight and they have been very angry."
A clearly frustrated Donna Jones, the Conservative group leader on Portsmouth City Council said: "I think [Mrs May] needs to take a look at how many councillors we’ve lost overnight, wake up in the morning and think about how she thinks the Conservative party needs to put its best foot forward."
And Tory Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin told the BBC: "People are very disillusioned, that the country made a decision and the politicians haven't implemented.
"[Theresa May] still has a degree of personal sympathy but people think it’s time for a change.
"They can see she’s lost the plot, she’s not in control of events."
Ex-Cabinet minister Priti Patel said the pitiful message she was getting on the doorstep from voters showed her it was time for the PM to go.
"People have very categorically said she is part of the problem," she said.
"Our party leadership needs to make some very, very serious decisions. Many of my constituents have said we need a change of leadership. Perhaps the time has come for that."
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Labour were tipped to pick up seats from the Tories, but so far haven't been making any gains.
The news will be a blow to the party's hopes of forcing a General Election and taking power in No10 - as Labour are nowhere near on the right course.
Tory sources said at this point under Ed Miliband the party had gained 500 seats, meaning Mr Corbyn is trailing far behind.
But Labour stressed that they were a tough set of elections in mostly areas that leaned towards the Tories - and there were lots of local factors at play too.
The party's vow to back a second referendum appeared to have put voters off in the North and Midlands as their share of the vote took a tumble.
But it picked up some votes in the South - where some voters are keen on the idea of another vote and remaining in the EU - and secured control of Trafford council.
LABOUR FLOP
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said this morning: "So far message from local elections - 'Brexit - sort it.' Message received."
His words will be seen as a huge hint Labour will be on board to do a deal with the Tories to force Brexit through in the coming weeks.
MP Ruth Smeeth said it wasn't good news in her area of Stoke on Trent last night. She said: "The leadership needs to look at these results very carefully. This is a strong leave area and my constituents just don’t trust us to deliver.
"We need clear messaging from the top. Messing around just isn't working. I want to deliver Brexit for my constituents."
Furious Sunderland council leader Graeme Miller said the party’s Brexit policy was to blame for losing 10 seats in his patch.
He said: "Sunderland voted as a city to leave in June 2016, and having had a Labour message across the city from MPs saying we need to be having a second referendum, people in Sunderland have said ‘we are just not accepting that.'"
This is a strong leave area and my constituents just don’t trust us to deliver
Labour MP Ruth Smeeth
One MP told Sky earlier: "You stand in the middle of the road and you get run over in both directions. Corbyn must go. He is killing our party and our country."
The Lib Dems declared victory today - leader Vince Cable said: “The Liberal Democrats are the big winners of this year’s elections, with already our best result for over 15 years and more gains expected today.
“Voters have sent a clear message that they no longer have confidence in the Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party prevaricates on the big issue of the day: Brexit."
The results could trigger a fresh challenge to Mrs May as panicked Tories guard against disaster in the EU elections on May 23 as well as the next General Election.
Counting will continue well into Friday in some areas, so the full results won't be known until this afternoon or evening.
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Labour MP says Brexit voters don't believe Labour will take us out of the EU - and its losing them seats
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COUNCIL RESULTS SO FAR
Sunderland - Labour hold
Chorley - Labour hold
Halton - Labour hold
South Tyneside - Labour hold
Havant - Conservative hold
Wigan - Labour hold
Broxbourne - Conservative hold
Sandwell - Labour hold
Newcastle - Labour hold
Harlow - Labour hold
Liverpool - Labour hold
Oldham - Labour hold
St Helens - Labour hold
Epping Forest - Conservative hold
Sefton - Labour hold
Wolverhampton - Labour hold
Exeter - Labour hold
Tameside - Labour hold
Hartlepool - Labour LOSE to No Overall Control
Barnsley - Labour hold
Swindon - Conservative hold
Castle Point - Conservative hold
Sunderland - Labour hold
Hart - No Overall Control - hold
Rochford - Conservative hold
Brentwood - Conservative hold
Basildon - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Lincoln - Labour hold
Tandridge - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Rushmoor - Conservative hold
Wirral - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Salford - Labour hold
North Tyneside - Labour hold
Coventry - Labour hold
Bolton - No Overall Control - no change
Stevenage - Labour hold
Rochdale - Labour hold
North Warwickshire - Conservative hold
Southampton - Labour hold
Tamworth - Conservative hold
Walsall - Conservative gain from Labour
Stockport - No Overall Control - no change
Thurrock - No Overall Control - no change
Bury - Labour hold
St Albans - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Wakefield - Labour hold
Reading - Labour hold
Eastleigh - Liberal Democrats hold
Peterborough - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Colchester - No Overall Control - no change
Derby - No Overall Control - no change
Southend on sea - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Rugby - Conservative hold
Ipswich - Labour hold
Barrow in Furness - Labour hold
Worcester - Conservative loss to No Overall Control
Cambridge - Labour hold
Brocknell Forest - Conservative hold
Wokingham - Conservative hold
Plymouth - Labour hold
Maldon - Conservative hold
Boston - Conservative hold
Kingston Upon Hull - Labour hold
South Lakeland - Lib Dem hold
North East Lincolnshire - Conservative gain from No Overall Control
Leeds - Labour hold
North West Leicestershire - Conservative hold
Slough - Labour hold
Hertsmere - Conservative hold
Trafford - Labour gain from No Overall Control
Luton - Labout hold
Dudley - No Overall Control - No Change
Melton - Conservative hold
Winchester - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
North Norfolk - Liberal Democrat gain from No Overall Control
New Forest - Conservative hold
Welwyn Hatfield - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
East Hertfordshire - Conservative hold
Nottingham - Labour hold
South Holland - Conservative hold
Derbyshire Dales - Conservative hold
Cotswold - Lib Dem gain from Conservative
Braintree - Conservative hold
Folkestone and Hythe - Con lose to No Overall Control
Ashfield - Independents gain from No Overall Control
Dartford - Conservative hold
West Lindsay - Conservative hold
Bolsolver - Labour loss to No Overall Control
Test Valley - Conservative hold
North Kesteven - Independent gain from Conservative
Bath and North East Somerset - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
Hinckley and Bosworth - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
East Riding of Yorkshire - Conservative hold
Medway - Conservative hold
Windsor and Maidenhead - Conservative hold
Broxtowe - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
North Devon - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
North Lincolnshire - Conservative hold
Chelmsford - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
Torbay - No Overall Control - no change
East Hampshire - Conservative hold
Dacorum - Conservative hold
Somerset West and Taunton - Liberal Democrat gain (new council)
South Gloucestershire - Conservative hold
South Kesteven - Conservative hold
Tendring - Conservative loss to No Overall Control
Stoke-on-Trent - No Overall Control - no change
Vale of White House - Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative
South Oxfordshire - Conservative loss to No Overall Control
Gateshead - Labour hold
Blackburn with Darwen - Labour hold
Amber Valley - Labour gain from Conservative
West Oxfordshire - Conservative hold
Tunbridge Wells - Conservative hold
Worthing - Conservative hold
Hyndburn - Labour hold
Burnley - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Knowsley - Labour hold
Herefordshire - Conservatives lose to No Overall Control
Cannock Chase - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Redditch - Conservative hold
West Suffolk - Conservative gain (new council)
Watford - Lib Dems hold
Sheffield - Labour hold
Kirklees - Labour hold
Craven - Conservatives lose to No Overall Control
North Hertfordshire - Conservatives lose to No Overall Control
Maidstone - No Overall Control - no change
Milton Keynes - No Overall Control - no change
Gedling - Labour hold
South Somerset - Lib Dem hold
East Cambridgeshire - Conservative hold
Calderdale - Labour gain from No Overall Control
Rossendale - Labour hold
Stratford-on-Avon - Conservative hold
Fenland - Conservative hold
West Lancashire - Labour hold
Mid Suffolk - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Darlington - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Solihull - Conservative hold
Pendle - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Breckland - Conservative hold
Elmbridge - No Overall Control - no change
Manchester - Labour hold
West Devon - Conservative hold
Newark & Sherwood - Conservative hold
Warwick - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Three Rivers - Lib Dem hold
Babergh - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Bradford - Labour hold
Hambleton - Conservative hold
Erewash - Conservative hold
Lichfield - Conservative hold
Mole Valley - Lib Dem gain from Conservative
Bromsgrove - Conservative hold
Malvern Hills - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Woking - No Overall Control - no change
Great Yarmouth - Conservative hold
Wychavon - Conservative hold
Bassetlaw - Labour hold
South Norfolk - Conservative hold
Mendip - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
East Staffordshire - Conservative hold
Stockton-on-Tees - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Blackpool - Labour hold
Staffordshire Moorlands - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
South Staffordshire - Conservative hold
Stafford - Conservative hold
Blaby - Conservative hold
Leicester - Labour hold
Wyre Forest - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Sedgemoor - Conservative hold
Rushcliffe - Conservative hold
Eden - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
South Hams - Conservative hold
Forest of Dean - No Overall Control - no change
Middlesbrough - Labour lose to No Overall Control
Teignbridge - Lib Dem gain from No Overall Control
Basingstoke & Deane - Conservative hold
Copeland - Labour hold
Preston - Labour hold
Carlisle - No Overall Control - no change
Ribble Valley - Conservative hold
North Somerset - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Broadland - Conservative hold
High Peak - Labour gain from Conservative
Tewkesbury - Conservative hold
Richmondshire - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Redcar & Cleveland - No Overall Control - no change
Selby - Conservative hold
Ashford - Conservative hold
Swale - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Central Bedfordshire - Conservative hold
North East Derbyshire - Conservative gain from Labour
Wealden - Conservative hold
Charnwood - Conservative hold
Ryedale - No Overall Control - no change
Uttlesford - Independent gain from Conservative
Rutland - Conservative hold
Harborough - Conservative hold
Dover - Conservative hold
Chichester - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Oadby & Wigston - Lib Dem hold
Fylde - Conservative hold
Eastbourne - Lib Dem hold
Sevenoaks - Conservative hold
Norwich - Labour hold
Gravesham - Labour gain from No Overall Control
Cherwell - Conservative hold
Mid Devon - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Wyre - Conservative hold
Torridge - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Epsom & Ewell - Independent hold
Runnymede - Conservative hold
Surrey Heath - Conservative hold
East Suffolk - Conservative gain (new council)
Reigate & Banstead - Conservative hold
Canterbury - Conservative hold
Chesterfield - Labour hold
South Derbyshire - Conservative hold
Tonbridge & Malling - Conservative hold
Scarborough - No Overall Control (no change)
King's Lynn & West Norfolk - Conservative hold
Lewes - No Overall Control (no change)
Crawley - Labour hold
Horsham - Conservative hold
Thanet - No Overall Control (no change)
Guildford - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Cheshire West & Chester - Labour lose to No Overall Control
South Ribble - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Rother - Conservative lose to No Overall Control
Brighton & Hove - No Overall Control - no change
Arun - Conservative loss to No Overall Control
Lancaster - Labour loss to No Overall Control
Dorset - Conservative gain (new council)
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole - No Overall Control (new council)
Spelthorne - Conservative hold
East Lindsey - Conservative hold
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Labour and the Tories are "losing ground where they were previously strongest".
Last night's results were a "plague on all your houses", he added.
Meanwhile Boris Johnson was red-faced after he tweeted that he'd voted in today's locals - only to be told there weren't any in his area in Hillingdon.
What happened in last night's elections?
BOTH Labour and the Tories have been hit by a huge Brexit backlash as the results from yesterday’s elections continue to flood.
Theresa May’s party has lost out badly in the South East and South West - in some of their most traditional seats.
The Liberal Democrats have reason to cheer this morning as they turned Chelmsford and the Cotswolds yellow again.
And the Tories have lost more than a dozen councils of their own as voters lost patience with them.
Some of that will be out of sheer frustration with the Tories, but some of it will be from Remainers determined to use the ongoing Brexit battle to push for a second referendum.
Tories are, understandably, irritated with last night’s results, which have them down more than 300 seats.
Grassroots activists and MPs are renewing their calls for Mrs May to go this morning, saying she’s the reason for the bloodbath in the polls.
But in reality it’s far better than the numbers which had been predicted - partly this is good expectations management for the Tories.
Meanwhile, Labour have suffered from huge drops in their vote in their Northern and Midland heartlands - with many votes going to independent candidates instead.
They’ve lost Hartlepool, Wirral, Bolsolver and Walsall councils overnight, and only managed to gain one - Trafford.
They’ve picked up a few chunks of votes in the South - possibly because of their promise to fight for a second referendum - but it’s not outweighed by the amount they’ve lost in the North.
MPs said it was proof that their strategy of sitting on the fence to keep everyone happy just wasn’t working, and they needed to show they could be trusted to deliver Brexit.
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Theresa May becomes first Tory leader in 185 years to face emergency grassroots vote demanding her resignation
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