The massive electoral setback for the ruling British Conservative Party deepened on Saturday, with the latest results of the local elections confirming the large victory of Labor, particularly in London where Sadiq Khan won a third term, in this election in the form of a final test before the legislative elections in a few months.
In the British capital, Sadiq Khan was re-elected largely with 43.8% of the votes for a historic third term, facing conservative Susan Hall (32.7%).
He said he was “honoured” and “proud” and said he hoped this year “will be a year of great change” with “a future Labor government”.
Already on Friday, the first results showed that the Tories in power for 14 years were going to experience their worst defeat in 40 years for a local election, during which voters were called to vote for a partial legislative – won by Labor – and to renew some of the thousands of local elected officials in England and Wales, as well as eleven mayors.
The Labor opposition’s substantial gains boost its hopes that its leader Keir Starmer will arrive in Downing Street after general elections scheduled for later this year.
“Today we celebrate the beginning of a page that is turned, one of the last stages before the legislative elections”, welcomed Keir Starmer on Saturday in Mansfield in the East Midlands where he celebrated the election of the mayor Labor Clare Ward.
“Let’s turn the page on decline and launch national renewal with Labor,” he added, promising in particular to rebuild the adrift health system, after calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the day before to call legislative elections. .
However, Rishi Sunak, who faces divisions in his ranks, again defended his policies on Saturday, in particular his plan to deport migrants to Rwanda and his tax cuts.
“Labor did not win in places where they admitted they had to win” to obtain a majority at the end of the next legislative elections. “Only the Conservatives have a plan” for the country, he assured in a column published in the conservative newspaper The Telegraph.
In total, Labor gained more than 180 seats and will lead eight more local councils, while the Conservatives lost more than 470 seats and lost control of at least ten local councils.
The rise of Reform UK, a nationalist and populist party, founded by Brexit champion Nigel Farage, is also cause for concern among the Conservatives, who could lose votes to them in the legislative elections.
All is not rosy either for Labor, which notably lost voters due to its position considered by some of its voters to be too pro-Israeli in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Little enthusiasm
He benefited more from “a will [des électeurs] to beat the conservatives” than “enthusiasm” towards it, while participation remained low [moins de 30 % dans la plupart des scrutins locaux]estimated John Curtice, professor of political science.
However, “nothing in these results disturbs the long-created impression that Labor is on track to win the next general election”, he said.
In addition to London, Labor has at this stage won ten of the eleven municipal elections which were held in several large cities in the country, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds or Sheffield (South Yorkshire), but also in the conurbation of York and North Yorkshire, right where the Prime Minister’s riding is located.
While the count is still underway in the hotly contested West Midlands (Birmingham), the Conservatives must be content with a single victory for the moment, with the re-election of the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley (east), Ben Houchen, announced Friday.
Rishi Sunak ran to congratulate him, seeing it as a sign that the Conservatives can still turn things around before the legislative elections.
This victory is proof that “the conservatives are keeping their promise,” he declared, praising in particular the success of several economic projects, and saying he was convinced that voters “will also remain loyal” to the conservatives during the legislative elections.