Conservative peer and leading pollster Lord Hayward has predicted his own party could lose around half its seats at the upcoming local elections, warning it will also be a grim night for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour.
Voters in 23 local authorities across England will go to the polls on 1 May to choose their new councillors, with mayors also up for election across six regions. It will be the first big electoral test for the parties since last summer’s general election, and more than half of the council seats up for grabs are currently held by the Conservatives.
