The Guardian view on the local elections: the Tories take a hammering

‘The scale of the losses is evidence that Mr Sunak’s Tory makeover has merely applied lipstick to a pig.’ Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

The opposition parties in England have good reason to be gleeful. Results from the local elections in 230 English councils show the Tories being squeezed on both sides of the Brexit vote. Conservatives are losing badly in areas that voted remain in 2016, while Labour is gaining most in places that voted leave. The BBC projected Labour with its biggest lead over Tories in local elections since 1997. Voter estrangement from the Conservatives is producing an electoral realignment that spells doom for the governing party.

The big winners from this ongoing process are undoubtedly the Liberal Democrats. Thursday’s elections show that Sir Ed Davey’s party is continuing to make spectacular gains deep into Tory territory – notably securing a bridgehead in councils represented by senior Tories, including two former prime ministers. The Conservatives also lost power at Stratford-on-Avon council for the first time after the Lib Dems won 15 seats, with Rishi Sunak’s sacking of the town’s Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi coming up on the doorstep.