Despite the significant fall in Labour’s support in the polls, the party hoped to escape without much visible damage in the local elections on Thursday.
After all, most of the seats at stake were being defended by the Conservatives, partly because this year’s round of elections took place primarily in predominantly Tory territory and partly because the Conservatives were riding so high in the polls when the seats were last fought over in 2021. Labour even hoped to profit from the anticipated decline in Tory fortunes by making gains at the opposition’s expense.
