Conservative Party lose strongholds as Labour strengthens grip on London in Local elections

LONDON May 7: The Conservative Party suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds that will pile more pressure on PM Boris Johnson amid ethics scandals and a worsening economic picture.

Voting held on Thursday for thousands of seats on over 200 local councils were an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the national election, which must be held by 2024.

The main opposition Labour Party won control of Wandsworth, Barnet and Westminster, three London boroughs long held by the Conservatives.

Johnson’s party also lost ground to the centrist Liberal Democrats in southern England heartlands, where many middle-class voters are opposed to Brexit — a cause Johnson championed.

The election also comes after months of turmoil for Johnson, in which he became the first PM to be sanctioned for breaking the law in office. He was fined £50 by police for attending his own surprise birthday party when lockdown rules barred gatherings.

The Conservatives tried to shrug off their losses. “We had a tough night in some parts,” Johnson said. “But in other parts of the country you are still seeing Conservatives making remarkable gains in places that haven’t voted Conservative for a long time. ”

The Prime Minister said that he took full responsibility for the results as Labour strengthened its grip on London and the Liberal Democrats also took seats from the Conservatives.

But he faced a growing backlash from local Tories who blamed continuing public anger over lockdown parties in Downing Street for the losses. One Conservative MP publicly warned it may require a change of leadership if the Government was to rebuild the trust of voters.

Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, hailed a ‘turning point’ for Labour as they took the totemic Tory authority in Wandsworth, won Westminster for the first time since its creation in 1964 and clinched victory in Barnet.

But his victory lap of England was overshadowed by news he is to be investigated by police over claims he broke lockdown rules last year. Durham Constabulary said it had received ‘significant new information,, having previously said they did not believe an offence had been established.

The U-turn follows mounting pressure on the force to re-examine the allegations after footage emerged of the Labour leader drinking a beer with reportedly up to 30 colleagues at a constituency office in Durham in April 2021 during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election.