Elections: Labour make gains in London while Lib Dems and Greens do well elsewhere
Boris Johnson faces backlash from local Tories
Last updated 6th May 2022
The Labour party has won key London councils from the Conservatives, while Lib Dems and Greens have made gains elsewhere across the country.
Boris Johnson is facing an angry backlash from local Tories in response to London strongholds falling to Labour.
Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, hailed a "turning point" as his party strengthened its grip on the capital.
The party have taken over authority in major councils, winning in Wandsworth, Westminster for the first time since its creation in 1964 and taking victory in Barnet.
The Lib Dems and Greens have made gains elsewhere in the country, with Lib Dems also gaining control of Hull Council from Labour.
'Paying the price for Partygate'
Local Conservative leaders are pointing the finger of blame at the Prime Minister as they’re faced with a loss of seats.
Tory councillors are turning the blame to Johnson against a backdrop of the row about lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and the cost-of-living crisis.
However, allies of Mr Johnson warned it’s not the time for a change at No 10 Downing Street, saying the Labour gains fell short of what was needed for the party to secure victory at a general election.
That did not stop Sir Keir from proclaiming evidence of a Labour revival after its defeat in the 2019 general election.
"This is a big turning point for us," he told cheering supporters in Barnet. "We've sent a message to the Prime Minister: Britain deserves better."
“It’s not just partygate, there’s the integrity issue”
Among Tories there was anger and frustration that local councillors were paying the price for the failures of the national leadership.
John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council, has spoken after Labour took control of the new Cumberland authority which will take its place.
He told the BBC: "I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue.
"Basically I just don't feel people any longer have the confidence that the Prime Minister can be relied upon to tell the truth."
Ravi Govindia, leader of the Wandsworth Tories, said: "Let's not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing."
Conservative MP David Simmonds has said Mr Johnson has "difficult questions" to answer having promised to take responsibility for the election results.
"Overwhelmingly the message that I heard on the doorsteps was people were broadly positive about the Government's policies but they are not happy about what they have been hearing about partygate," he told the BBC.
"He (Mr Johnson) said 'I will take full responsibility for these election results' and I think he needs to confront that question now."
Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden recognised the party had suffered some "difficult results" but said it was not time for a change at the top.
"Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism that we need during this difficult period of time," he told Sky News.
A No 10 insider has said they were "very sorry and sad" for the Conservatives who lost their seats but insisted that across the UK the party was doing "better than expected".
"Keir Starmer is clearly not making the progress he needs to even dream of being in government and it's hard to imagine any other Conservative leader doing better than this," the source said.