UK Conservatives’ power base bolstered in local elections

Leader Tim Farron has said the party is on course to double its number of seats in Parliament in June’s election.

Also on Friday afternoon, Labour’s Steve Rotheram was elected as the first “metro mayor” of the Liverpool City Region.

The Conservatives and Labour were successful in today’s mayoral elections, though Corbyn’s party has lost significant ground in the local elections.

For Ukip, it was an unqualified disaster, which could herald the end of the anti-EU party, which now has no MPs and a handful of councillors and will have no MEPs after Brexit. The ruling Conservative Party seems to be gaining local council seats according to preliminary resul.

It failed to break through against the Conservatives in southwest England but in some General Election target seats, such as Eastleigh and Wells, it made gains.

The polls suggest a similarly comfortable victory for the Tories when we return to the polling booths next month, but while Cllr Carter has maximum faith in the prime minister, who he says has convinced a lot of voters on Kent doorsteps in recent weeks, the party can not afford to take anything for granted.

The Lib Dems have 118 councillors, a net loss of 13; Plaid Cymru in Wales is on 44, a net gain of six and the Greens are on 10, a net gain of four.

“I am disappointed at every Labour defeat in the local elections”.

Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell acknowledged the party had suffered a tough night, but told ITV the results were not “the wipeout that people expected”.

Conservative Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the outcome was “very encouraging”, but the results were not an “accurate prediction” of next month’s poll.

“We cant assume that what happens in local elections will automatically be replicated in general elections”, said Tory minister Brandon Lewis.

Prior to the election, Labour controlled Nottinghamshire with 34 seats, while the Conservatives had 21, the Liberal Democrats eight and the Independent Group three.

“If Theresa May ever had any doubts about the wisdom of calling a snap general election”, writes the Financial Times, “they will have been dispelled overnight”.

The main opposition Labour Party took a beating, losing scores of local councilors nationwide and suffering losses in its long-time stronghold of Wales.

UKIP’s vote was “bleeding off to the Conservatives”, while the Lib Dem failure to capture Remain voters was a “big surprise” and a “disappointment” for the centrist party.

Dr Mokhefi-Ashton says Labour will struggle to move forward if they do not secure enough votes in June.

The victories, fuelled by a collapse in the Ukip vote as anti-EU supporters flocked back to the Tories, mean Theresa May could see a substantial increase in House of Commons majority if repeated in June.

UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said it had been “a victim of its own success” over Brexit and that the party was prepared to pay the price of losing seats to the Tories because it had won the crucial European Union referendum.

The Conservative party have taken control of Warwickshire County Council, winning 36 of the 57 available seats.