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Lib-Dems and Tories gain ground as Labour is hit heavily at polls
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor05.06.09
LABOUR suffered a fresh blow today as the first local election results showed it was sustaining heavy losses across the country.
Both the Tories and the Lib-Dems capitalised by making gains, but although there were also several successes for independents, there were no early signs of any notable advance by the BNP.
Labour's biggest setback came in Bristol, where it lost eight of its 10 contested seats as overall control of the city council was seized by the Lib-Dems.
Labour also lost heavily in Lincolnshire where its number of councillors plummeted from 19 to just four, while the Tories gained 14 seats to secure their grip on power in the area with a total of 60 councillors.
The Tories, who also held onto Hampshire, were similarly victorious in the newly created authority of Central Bedfordshire, taking 54 seats, with the Lib-Dems gaining 11 and Labour leaving empty-handed.
Although many results were still to come in, by lunchtime today the Tories were far ahead in the overall seats secured with 131 councillors elected.
The Lib-Dems were second with 52, while Labour - ominously for its prospects at the next general election - was trailing third, with only 20 seats, and only slightly ahead of the "others" category which accounted for a further 10 councillors.
Today's early results were the first to come in after voting yesterday in elections for 27 county councils, seven unitary authorities and three mayoral contests across the country. Local government minister John Healey admitted Labour had fared poorly, but claimed that the nature of the areas contested in yesterday's elections meant that the party was always destined to struggle.
"It was always going to be very tough for Labour in local council elections - I mean this is Tory England at the ballot box - and last time we had a national election at the same time so turnout is down," he said.
Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg claimed that his party's victory in Bristol was the start of a "complete transformation of city politics", although it was unclear whether there would be further significant advances in the wake of Labour's travails.
Elsewhere, Hartlepool's mayor Stuart Drummond - known as H'Angus the Monkey - who first gained the post in 2002 was re-elected for a third term, while the BNP gained its first seat on Lancashire County Council, winning in its stronghold of Burnley.
Vote-counting for the European elections, which were also held yesterday, will not start until Sunday to ensure the results are declared around the same time as those elsewhere in the EU.
Reader views (23)
Lib Dems did not gain ground.
- Adam, London
Good! Another step towards getting out of the infernal eu!
- Vince, London, West London
All elitist idiots who are out of touch with society and the real issues that exist. Many are tucked away in their little country ward and have no idea of the true state of this nation and how immigration has been a main factor in its DECLINE. Time the people for that people that represent them and not people who look down on them. Wake up Britian!
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
Tories Just Another Load Of Traitors!!! Happy To Carry On Destroying BRITAIN!!!
- Alan Arthur Wilby, Perth xpat
Read the comments again Keith. Seems you can't spell or count."
60 % is well over half davey boy
- Keith Price, Luton, England
As we all know, if you speak to a politician who does not understand maths, arithmetic, budgets or accounting then you are probably speaking to a Labour Party MP, Labour Party Councillor or Labour Party member!
As thick as 2 short planks! How many is that did you ask?
... and we wonder why the UK has accumulated a debt under doom & bust Brown of £160,000,000,000 while potentially next year 3 or 4 million of us will be unemployed!
- Joe, Thornton Heath, UK
"AS over half the comments on heret today support Gordon Brown it would seem you are in the parallel universe Bavey"
Socialists were never very good at statistics. Look at the Stalinist crowd in the 1930s and their ever more unbelievable factory productivity figures. All stems from a culture where you got shot if your figures were substandard - so you lied.
On the basis of the last count on this board, 7 are against Gordon Brown, 5 could be construed to be in support of him. Hardly "over half", is it?
- Edward Thompson, Bedfordshire
Keith, judging by your maths, you've been helping Darling with his recent budget forecasts.
Keep up the good work - it brightens my day to read your ravings.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
Read the comments again Keith. Seems you can't spell or count.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
Kerry, typical lame-brained anti-American diatribe from a self-deluding socialist who looks back on the so-called golden age of socialism, when we had high taxes, higher inflation, frequent strikes that inconvenienced thousands, sink estates and a health service that was never fit for purpose. Socialism never worked because no-one except a few over-educated bores thought working class people were not aspirational.
I say Gordon Brown and the rest of his cronies need to be despatched to the dustbin of history. Their days are numbered and they will soon all be gone.
- Susan, London
Er, seem the latest headline Keith? Political infighting, Nulabour I believe, causes a hammering of the pound. Markets lose faith in economic revival. So the pound is dropping again, must be Amarica's fault, only rises are credited to Gord.
- Alan, carlisle uk
Good to see you are still living in a parallel universe to the rest of us."
AS over half the comments on heret today support Gordon Brown it would seem you are in the parallel universe Bavey
- Keith Price, Luton, England
Collin, you are right. Nice little earners include Mutual aid, Expenses to move to a better job, cracking pensions at a time when there are only, I think, four Footsie 100 companies with final salary pension schemes. It's about time the Public sector was brought into line.
- Alan, carlisle uk
"As the rise in house prices and in the valus of the pound have clearly shown, the Labour Govt are getting on with the job they told us they would do, of getting us out of the world ecomomic downturn"
In case you haven't been following the news, sterling took a bath today - down at 1.60 from 1.62. As for the rise in house prices, what rise would that be?
Bear in mind that before the worst of the Great Depression in the 1920s, there was a false dawn of recovery. We are not out of the woods yet. My son was made redundant after 12 years' service yesterday by the local firm he works for in Luton - hardly evidence of "green shoots of recovery", is it? What remains of GM Vauxhall will be thrown to the wolves. Where is this glorious promised land of recovery that Brown and his cronies are purported to have begun to lead us to? We have just arrived at the edge of the abyss.
- Edward Thompson, Bedfordshire
The Nu Labor experiment is dead. Ten years wasted in Britain and now with Crash Gordon we have a real recession as well.
- Peteo, London NW1
Thanks Keith - Good to see you are still living in a parallel universe to the rest of us.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
Leo of Houston,
No wonder people think America is a joke when comments like yours are made.
Firstly there is no such word a socialistic, It's just socialist. Second the original Labour party was set up with Socialist (and democratic) principles to secure a measure of democratic representation as well as a certain amount of control over the means of production. It has done this splendidly over several decades ensuring better living conditions and fairer working conditions for ordinary people, including a health service free at the point of issue universally, and despite it's problems still a wonderful thing.
This Government is "New" Labour, not the same thing, and not one with any socialist principles at all. You can see this from it allowing free reign to the Bankers and Money lenders. These people are the epitomy of free market libertarian policies, diametricall opposed to socialism
Therefore, you have no idea what you are talking about and like most Americans brain dead and insular. better for you to keep quiet and be thought a fool than opening your mouth and have it proved so.
- Kerry, Purley
Leo of Houston- you are not witnessing true socialism here, this is new Labour which is as right wing as the Republican USA party hence the bad results.
A spot of socialism wouldn't go amiss in your country which has pockets of poverty as bad as you find anywhere in a 3rd world country.
- Paul B, London
As the rise in house prices and in the valus of the pound have clearly shown, the Labour Govt are getting on with the job they told us they would do, of getting us out of the world ecomomic downturn. Cameron has no experience whatsoever, so thank God the Tories haven'r been elected to power. Well done Gordon Brown
- Keith Price, Luton, England
Socialism/Communism. Under this government whats the difference. The lies are the same.
- Thetruthman, United Kingdom
The disappointing thing about the whole recent debacle is that it is just the tip of a very large iceberg! What about county and local councils - the miriad of quangos are we to assume that they are whiter that white in thier expense claims - I think not! Also name one spending ministry/local government that we can be proud of - NONE some at best are mediocre most are run by incompetant managers and bean counters who have lost sight of why they are there. Its easy to fine people for putting out rubbish a day early not so easy to keep people safe to walk the street or not get MRSA or our soldiers to have the right kit to fight a war thet only the self seeking glory hunting MPs. As from the beginning of the last century this country is Lions led by Donkeys!!
- Colin Davis, London
While I don't live in the UK, I cant help but notice how Socialistic the Labour Party became, socialism NEVER brought any good and here are the results. My fear is we'll probably have a worst outcome this side of the Atlantic.
- Leo, Houston,TX
Val and Keith - Lets hear your expert opinions on this. I fancy a laugh.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
