Let’s have a look at “A summary of important points from local elections”.
Labour Continues to Advance
Labour did really well in the local elections in 2024. They won over 180 seats on local councils, which means they now control eight councils. Places like Milton Keynes and Nuneaton, where people often vote the same way as in national elections, are now under Labour’s control. In areas where the BBC looked closely, Labour got 3% more votes compared to last year’s elections. But it’s important to remember that these results don’t show the whole country’s opinion because independent candidates also got a lot of votes in some places.
There weren’t any elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in Wales, only police and crime commissioners were chosen. One of Labour’s big wins was in a place called Blackpool South. They won a special election there with a big swing in votes from the Conservatives to Labour. These wins match up with what national opinion polls are saying. They suggest that Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, might win the next general election. Labour also won the mayoral race in the West Midlands. Sir Keir Starmer called this a “phenomenal result” for Labour.
Conservatives Struggle
The Conservative Party is having a tough time. They lost more than 470 local councillors, which is almost half of the seats they were trying to keep. Overall, they only got 513 councillors in these elections, which is less than the 521 seats won by the Liberal Democrats. The Tories also lost control of 10 councils, including one called Basildon in Essex. This place was really important for them in the past, especially during Margaret Thatcher’s time when they started winning votes from areas that usually voted for Labour.
Even though these results are disappointing, it seems like the people who disagree with the prime minister inside his own party are not trying to challenge his leadership right now. Rishi Sunak, a key figure in the Conservative Party, is holding on to a place called Tees Valley. This is because another Conservative, Ben Houchen, won again as the mayor there. Some people think this shows the Tories still have a chance in the next general election.
Labour’s Mayoral Wins
Labour did really well in the recent mayoral elections. They won three important positions in newly created regions, adding to their string of victories in this area over the past few years. Their win in the North East wasn’t a surprise to many, but they were especially happy with their victory in the East Midlands. This area is expected to be very important in the next general election.
Winning in York and North Yorkshire was also a big deal for Labour because it’s where Rishi Sunak, a key figure in the Conservative Party, is from. This win gave Labour a lot of positive attention. Sadiq Khan, the Labour candidate, won again as the mayor of London. In the West Midlands, Richard Parker from Labour narrowly beat Andy Street from the Conservative Party by just 1,508 votes.
Labour’s Position on Gaza Affects Voting
Labour Party has faced big losses in neighbourhoods where many people are Muslims. This shows that the party’s position on the conflict between Israel and Gaza might be affecting how people vote in those areas. In 58 neighbourhoods looked at by the BBC, where more than 1 in 5 people are Muslim, Labour got 21% fewer votes compared to last year’s elections.
However, it seems like the biggest drop in support is mostly in places where Labour already had a lot of support. Another party, led by George Galloway, who strongly supports Palestine, won four seats in places like Rochdale, Calderdale, and Manchester. In Manchester, they even defeated the Labour deputy leader of the council, Luthfur Rahman.
Greens and Liberal Democrats See Progress
Smaller political parties like the Liberal Democrats and Greens had a good night in the elections. They won seats on local councils in places where they wanted to do well in the next general election. The Liberal Democrats gained 105 councillors so far and won places like Tunbridge Wells and Dorset. However, they didn’t manage to take control of West Oxfordshire and Wokingham, which were also important for them.
The Greens gained over 70 seats, including 10 on Bristol City Council. This city is a key area they want to focus on in the next general election, even though they didn’t quite get enough seats for full control. The Green Party got more votes in areas where many Muslims live, as well as in places with lots of students.
Mixed Results for Reform UK
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice’s party did quite well in the Blackpool South election, getting 16.9% of the votes and coming in third place, not far behind the Tory candidate. This was their best result in a by-election so far, but it wasn’t as good as the one they had in Peterborough in 2019 when they were known as the Brexit Party.
Looking at the votes, it seems like while most of the people who usually vote Conservative went for Labour this time, about a third of them chose Reform UK instead. This might be a concern for the Conservative Party’s election planners. But even though Reform UK did well in this election, they only managed to win two council seats, both in Havant, near Portsmouth.
It’s a bit tricky to judge how well the party did overall because they only had candidates in a small number of places.
Voter ID Conflicts in Local Elections
Boris Johnson made news when he forgot his voter ID and couldn’t vote at his local polling station. He later came back with the right documents and was able to cast his vote. He even tried to use a magazine as ID, but it didn’t work.
The government plans to add Veteran Cards as acceptable IDs after some veterans had trouble voting. Another Conservative MP, Tom Hunt, couldn’t vote because he lost his passport due to his dyspraxia. He had to arrange for someone else to vote for him in an emergency.
