Voters went to the polls in council elections across England on Thursday where more than 8,000 seats are up for grabs.
Rishi Sunak predicted a “hard night” for his party in the contests, but said the Conservatives were now moving away from the “box set drama” under his recent predecessors. Sir Keir Starmer said the town hall polls were “an important step towards a Labour government that can change Britain for the better”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey argued that backing his party would “send the Conservatives a message that you won’t be taken for granted”.
Elections were taking place in 230 local authorities, ranging from small rural areas to some of the largest towns and cities, but not London. Mayors are also being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.
It is the first time controversial new voter ID rules have applied to all of England, ahead of the change coming into force for British general elections from October. Senior Tories Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove will all be closely watching their local council election results in London’s commuter belt for any swing against their party.
Chancellor Mr Hunt is currently MP for South West Surrey which is being split up and he will fight the next election in the Godalming and Ash constituency.
The three main parties on his local council, Waverley, are the Conservatives on 18, Liberal Democrats 17 and Farnham Residents 14. In Surrey Heath, where Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove is the MP, there are 17 Conservative, nine Lib-Dem, six Independent, two Green councillors and one Labour.
Closer to London, in Elmbridge, which covers ex-Justice Secretary Mr Raab’s Esher and Walton constituency, there are 18 residents association, 15 Conservative, 13 Lib-Dems and two Hinchley Wood residents association councillors.
Polling expert Lord Robert Hayward, a Conservative peer, said: “For the first time in many years the eyes of all the political parties will be on a range of councils across the South East which will affect the mood for the preparations for the general election.”
Both Mr Raab, if he stands, and Mr Hunt could be vulnerable to any significant swing to the Lib-Dems, while Mr Gove has a bigger majority. It is difficult to use local council election results to predict a general election, but they can give an indication of political trends.
Other councils of particular interest in the commuter belt around the capital include Basildon, Dartford and Medway, as the expansion of the Ulez anti-toxic air zone to the whole of Greater London may have an impact on their results.
