LABOUR has won big across England and Wales in local elections, enjoying a projected vote share of 39 per cent to the Conservatives' 31 per cent. By 6am, Ed Miliband's party had won 21 councils, including significant gains from the Conservatives in the south and Midlands, including Harlow, Southampton, Plymouth and Dudley. They are expected to gain up to 700 council seats across the country by the time counting is over. If the projected voting share was translated to a general election, Labour would have returned to power with a majority of 82. The only bright spot for David Cameron today is likely to be the re-election of London mayor Boris Johnson, although some might wonder whether the affirmation of his popularity is such good news for a struggling Conservative prime minister. Counting in the London elections starts this afternoon, with a result expected in the evening. In further blows to the Cameron, the UK Independence Party increased its share of the vote by five points to 13 per cent, a swing that was thought to be mainly at the expense of the Conservatives. Meanwhile, locally elected mayors, a pet policy of Cameron, were rejected in referendums in Manchester, Nottingham and Coventry, with Birmingham likely to follow suit. Lib Dems fared as poorly as their coalition partners. Their share of 16 per cent means the party has sunk to its worst result ever in local elections and is expected to drop below 3,000 councillors for the first time since its formation in 1988. While there have been concerns at the low turnout – fewer than one-in-three bothered to use their vote - the BBC’s Nick Robinson said the results will have immediate consequences for the party leaders. Miliband’s leadership is now secure, he said, while “the Tories' heavy losses have already led to calls on David Cameron to lead a more Conservative and rather less Liberal government”. As for Clegg, “he will face demands to distance himself from the Conservatives after Lib Dem results worse than any in the party's history”. Tory backbench MP Gary Streeter said his party's supporters had gone over to UKIP because "they don't think our leadership is Conservative enough". "The UKIP vote is not just about Europe," he told the BBC. "It's also about a hardcore of traditional Conservative voters saying, 'actually we don't like the kind of small 'l' liberal decisions this government is beginning to take - it offends our values and we're going to protest and vote UKIP." But senior Conservatives put a brave face on the results, with immigration minister Damian Green saying Labour’s performance was "good but not spectacularly good", and foreign secretary William Hague saying the results were “well within the normal range of mid-term results for a government” adding: “You can't look at these results and say Labour are on track to win a general election.” Shadow justice secretary, Sadiq Khan, acknowledged Labour had benefitted from a large protest vote, saying: "It has been a good night for Labour because people concerned about some of the decisions made by the coalition government are punishing them." Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry said Labour was "on its way" back to power: "We're not being complacent about this. We need to work more, but we are going in the right direction and we are very cheerful tonight. It is encouraging the way in which we are regaining the trust of the public." However, Miliband could yet suffer his own electoral setbacks today. Besides the London mayoral election, counting is yet to begin in the Scottish elections, and Labour-controlled Glasgow is thought to be vulnerable to the SNP. · Labour wins big as UKIP eats into Conservative support
But results in Scotland and London mayoral race might yet rain on Miliband's parade
Friday, 4 May 2012
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