As results from local elections roll in, the morning has seen Telegraph readers polarised by Labour's gains in London, sharing their views in our comment section.
An early blow to the Conservatives saw Labour win Wandsworth, which had been held by the Tories since 1978, as well as Westminster, which had been Conservative since 1964. Many of our readers found the result shocking and shared their concerns over council tax rises in Wandsworth.
But despite heavy losses in London, the Conservatives appear to have held their ground elsewhere in the country. Telegraph readers were less than surprised that Labour has failed to win a landslide victory.
Here we have shared a selection of our most engaged readers' comments on the election results so far, you can join in the conversation in the comments section below.
‘Population increase in London is a factor to consider’
@Thomas Chester:
"Another factor with London and the Tory vote is population increase and demographic change. This can be seen in Wandsworth and in Hammersmith and Fulham. The former is well published but the latter is not.
"The population increase has seen new wards being created which have delivered Labour five plus seats that were not there before. Demographic change has reduced the Tories. You can see the same trend playing out elsewhere, too. The Tories must wake up to it.
"That Boris Johnson has supported a net increase of immigration into London shows he just does not have a clue, and poses a long term threat to Tory recovery in London - and of-course this will replicate across the nation with big cities first."
'The actions of voters are hardly surprising'
@Martin Halsall:
"The Conservative party has completely lost its way. It's not only Boris Johnson who must go, but all those who lack Conservative values at their core.
"So many failures - a wilful failure to control borders, Brexit not done, Northern Ireland abandoned to the EU, public spending out of control, indoctrination in schools and universities, a failure of energy policy and corruption on public contracts, among many others.
"It is hardly surprising that voters have decided to send the only message that has a hope of being heard - 'I am withholding my vote from you.'"
'This is an absolute disaster for Labour'
@Maxwell StIves:
"This is an absolute disaster for Labour. They needed a stonking result nationwide to force Boris Johnson onto the sharp end of the Brady Boot and they have got nowhere near that. They even lost Hull to the Lib Dems, that's like missing an open goal.
"This will not create any momentum to remove Boris Johnson, who will now stagger on to 20204 and on this basis may even win it."
'I am shocked that people in Wandsworth voted for Labour'
@First Serve:
"I live in Wandsworth, which was one of the few non-Labour councils left in London. I’m so shocked that people here voted to pay double the council tax for half the services. I live on a road where houses average about £2m each and the kids mainly go to private schools. Perhaps people here are virtue-signalling champagne socialists with more money than sense?"
'Boris Johnson remains an electoral liability'
@Tim Howard
"It would be a mistake for the Conservative party to see these results as any kind of endorsement of their policies at national level. Many ‘red wall’ seats require only a small swing away from the Conservatives to be lost.
"Labour support shows a modest improvement but it will benefit further when the cost of living and energy crises really start to bite. People still vote on local as opposed to national issues. If they didn’t the Lib Dems would never win anything. Boris Johnson remains an electoral liability."
'This was the best night the Conservatives could have hoped for'
@Stuart Drummond
"Labour may be crowing about these results, desperately clinging on to gains like Wandsworth and Westminster, but it's not the expected landslide they expected.
"London is not representative of the country. Outside of the ‘one Party state’ that London is becoming, which is completely out of touch with the rest of us, Labour did not regain Hartlepool and lost control of Hull. These are the ones to watch because it proves the red wall is not crumbling. Outside the middle class champagne socialists of our capital and some of the provincial cities, Labour is dying.
"That the Conservatives have not had a drubbing speaks more for Labour. This was the best night the Conservatives could have hoped for."
'Voters in Wandsworth and Westminster will regret this'
@Finian Manson:
"I think the voters in Wandsworth and Westminster and other London boroughs will have cause to regret their votes over the next four years.
"Fiscal prudence will go out the door. Those voters who are swayed, but who do not actually pay their own council tax or anything else will be the only ones to benefit.
"Otherwise, the council tax payers and business ratepayers can look forward to increases in costs and a reduction in services."
'Labour haven’t made a breakthrough in the election'
@Roy Garner:
"The Brexit referendum was won and lost in 2015.Keir Starmer mustn't keep leading a Party that works against UK interests to attempt to force his wish for Brussels to be in charge.
"It appears Labour haven't made a breakthrough in the election. They should be asking whether they really expect a return of supporters, if they continue to promote policies rejected by former Labour voters.
"Had the Government honoured manifesto promises, Keir Starmer would likely have lost more councils."
'Northerners are realists'
@Patricia Clausen-Thue:
"Northerners are realists. They know that the promises made in 2019 have been derailed by Covid 19 and now the war in Ukraine which is causing untold damage to economies world wide.
"We don't know, any of us, how things would have panned out without these two disasters neither of which are any of our politicians' fault - just 'Events, dear boy. Events."
