Breakout loss for Tories in UK local elections – Liberal Democrats win more seats than ruling party – Foreign Affairs – svenska.yle.fi

Local elections in England have delivered the worst electoral results of the 21st century for the Conservatives in Great Britain.

Out of the total 317 constituencies in England, local elections were held on Thursday for 107 constituencies. A total of 2,600 council seats were at stake.

The election itself is not that important, but interest abroad is high because the results clearly show how the ruling Tories party is doing.

It was an all-hands-on election result: the Liberal Democrats won more seats in local councils than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's conservative Tories.

The opposition Labor party, as expected, gained increased support and the result certainly does not bode well for Sunak in the latest parliamentary elections in January but already due this autumn.

The political landscape has not looked this bleak for conservatives in the UK since Tony Blair was in power in the late 1990s.

The above table shows the situation where 106 out of 107 constituencies are reporting election results.

Khan continues as Mayor of London

With opinion polls predicting a heavy loss for the Tories, the poor election day result came as no surprise.

So one takes solace in the fact that it has gone even worse: the party's support has not dipped below 500 council seats – almost.

Labour's Sadiq Khan made history by being elected Mayor of London for the third time. He has held the post since 2016, succeeding Boris Johnson, who did not stand for re-election.

Sources: Sky News, The Guardian, The Times