LABOUR has had a great night in London. There’s no doubt about that. But for all their celebrating, it is yet to be seen if Sir Keir Starmer’s party has really done any more than just solidify support among the pro-EU elite.
The Conservatives have taken a battering in the capital in the local elections, losing the long-held Wandsworth and Barnet councils, as well as unexpectedly ceding control of Westminster. In the capital the party is set to improve on its results of 2018 and 2014 – and is even on course for its best performance there since London’s 32 councils were created in 1964.
Such pronouncements though are premature.
London has been increasingly a Labour stronghold for years, with the Brexit referendum only exacerbating the trend.
While Labour will boast about its success in the south, in other parts of the country the picture isn’t quite so rosy.
Labour’s council leader in Oldham lost his seat to the Tories and the party has failed to make progress in Hartlepool and Sunderland.
While there have been some increases in the share of the vote in so-called Red Wall areas, the progress is not enough to exactly suggest Sir Keir has won over Brexit-voting areas of Britain that he can be trusted with the keys to No10.
“Overall, across the UK the Conservatives have so far done better than expected,” a Tory source insisted this morning.
“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.”
We’re still only halfway through results being declared in England so the picture could of course yet change.
But if the rest of the election continues along the same trend as last night, it would be a mistake for Labour to get too carried away.
Source: Express.co.uk
