Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party have had a "terrible" night in the English local elections with voters punishing the party at the polls. Early figure show that the Tories have suffered a net loss of some 200 seats, but experts have claimed this number could rise to 1,000 when the full results come in.
These election results will decide more than 8,000 council seats in 230 out of 317 local authorities across England, who are responsible for the provision of public services, including everything from waste collection to schools, social care and planning.
However, more broadly, they are also a significant test of how voters are feeling ahead of the next general election, which is expected to be held next year, coming just eight months after Sunak was made Prime Minister. He was elected to help restore the Conservatives' credibility after months of scandals and economic chaos which saw leadership change hands three times, but these bruising results show the scale of that challenge.
