Tories Suffer A Second Tough Day In Local Elections As Labour Cleans Up In Mayorals

The Conservatives have faced a second difficult day of local election results, after Labour's Sadiq Khan comfortably beat Tory Susan Hall to retain the London mayoralty, while Tory incumbent Andy Street's fate hangs in the balance in the West Midlands.

As counting in local councils reached its conclusion, with 106 of 107 councils declared on Saturday afternoon, the Conservatives were left with only 509 seats, marking a loss of 474. Labour won 1,140 seats, marking an increase of 185. The Liberal Democrats also enjoyed a boost from Thursday's vote, winning 520 seats, with a gain of 105.

While the Conservatives managed to hold onto Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen on Saturday, averting a crucial catalyst for backbench MPs to move against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the party's West Midlands incumbent was looking less safe early on Saturday evening, with a a full recount in ordered in Coventry after an especially tight initial result.

Victory for Street had been expected on Friday, but as counting progressed on Saturday, it appeared the vote was leaning towards Labour's Richard Parker.

In London Sadiq Khan secured a third term as Mayor of London, taking around 44 per cent of the vote across the city, compared to Conservative candidate Susan Hall who won 32.6 per cent. Sources close to Sadiq Khan claimed that London had rejected a negative campaign from Hall. 

Turnout in the London mayoral election was 40.5 per cent, according to figures released on Friday evening, with the highest turnout recorded in the outer London boroughs of Bexley and Bromley at 48.38 per cent. The turnout is down slightly on the last mayoral election in 2021, when it was 42 per cent. That contest had been delayed for a year due to the Covid pandemic. 

Labour