Hello, and happy local election results day from your caffeine-addled, sugared-up, banana-stuffed correspondent at the count in Silksworth Sports Centre in Sunderland, where Labour had a pretty average night – but fears of losing control of an iconic council to the Conservatives did not materialise, and only the Liberal Democrats picked up any seats.
As we send this email, it’s that same sort of messy picture across the country: disappointment but not catastrophe for the Conservatives, some Labour successes coming with plenty of big asterisks attached, and the Liberal Democrats and the Greens the only parties to really be able to point to unambiguous success.
