It’s been a bruising night for the Conservatives at this year’s local elections.
In Greater Manchester, the Tories lost seven seats in Bolton overnight. They lost the same number in Tameside, and couldn’t dent Labour’s huge majority in Salford.
The results mean that, for all talk of change with a new Prime Minister at the helm — with Boris Johnson in No 10 at the last local elections — the party has a lot of work to do to win voters over for the expected General Election. That poll has to take place by the end of 2024, by law.
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Within Tory ranks, there will be an inquest. Questions will be asked, local issues re-examined, and new strategies will be devised.
However, they are questions for later today, or next week. To see how the night unfolded for the Tories, five tweets tell the story.
In Thurrock, an authority that has faced financial ruin, council leader Mark Coxshall lost his seat to Labour. Journalist Gareth Davies, who has investigated the affairs of the council, said the result was met with ‘cheers of jubilation’.
The Conservatives remain the largest party in Thurrock, but lost two seats tonight, as one-third of the council was up for grabs. In contrast, Labour gained five of the 16 available.
There were similar scenes on the other side of the River Thames, after the Tories lost control of Medway Council for the first time in '20 years', Newsnight's Anna Collinson tweeted. Labour gained 12 seats, to take them to 34, as the Tories lost 12 councillors - and control of the authority.
But it wasn't just the south-east where the Conservatives took a kicking. One of Labour's big wins was in Stoke-on-Trent, taking control of the 'red wall' area. Although the Tories did not lose any seats here, Labour did win 14 from independents and other groups - and scored a notable result in one ward.
That was Bradeley and Chell Heath ward, in the heart of the constituency for Jonathan Gullis. Mr Gullis is considered to be one of the more right-wing proponents of the government, notable for his stance on refugees.
In the ward, the incumbent Labour councillor - Gurmeet Singh Kallar - took four votes in five. It means his majority is two-thirds of the vote.
Conservative losses were also felt in Plymouth, where the party lost every seat it contested. One MP for the city, Johnny Mercer, said it was a 'terrible night for us'.
And the aforementioned inquest into what wrong appears to have started on Times Radio, with MP for Broxbourne in Herts, Sir Charles Walker, giving his take. Sir Charles hit the headlines last October, when he lambasted his colleagues who 'put Liz Truss in No. 10'. "I’ve had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box," he said.
It was not all plain sailing for Labour, however, as it made losses in Hull, with the Lib Dems extending their lead in the Yorkshire city. The Lib Dems also nabbed the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council off the Tories.
Greater Manchester local election results 2023
Here are all the local election results where you live in Greater Manchester:
- Manchester: Full local election results
- Bolton: Full local elections results
- Bury: Full local election results
- Stockport: Full local election results
- Trafford: Full local election results
- Oldham: Full local election results
- Salford: Full local election results
- Rochdale: Full local election results
- Tameside: Full local election results
- Wigan: Full local election results
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