United Kingdom | After the local elections, Labor has the wind in its sails more than ever

(London) The British Labor opposition is savoring its successes in the first results of local elections which confirm the poor position of the conservative party in power, a few months before the legislative elections.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded that the vote was “obviously disappointing” for his party, while saying he was “totally focused” on his role at the head of government.

In power for 14 years in the United Kingdom, the Conservatives appear worn out and divided, struggling to deliver on certain promises made ahead of Brexit, particularly in terms of the fight against immigration and economic growth, while the British see their services public decompose.

Buoyed by significant gains, including a new MP seat in the constituency of Blackpool South in the north-west of England, Labor on Friday called on the Prime Minister to call general elections now, and not in the second half of the year as announced by Rishi Sunak.

“Blackpool speaks for the whole country saying ‘we have had enough, after 14 years of failure, 14 years of decline, we want to turn the page and a new start with Labor’,” said Labor leader Keir Starmer , whom polls have been pointing to as the future prime minister for months.

“Worst” performance

Voters were called to the polls on Thursday for a partial legislative election in Blackpool, after the resignation of the outgoing Conservative MP due to a lobbying scandal, and to renew some of the thousands of local elected officials in England and Wales, as well as than eleven mayors.

In London, Labor mayor Sadiq Khan is seeking a third term and is favored against conservative Susan Hall. The result is expected on Saturday.

Most of the seats up for a vote were last contested in 2021, at the height of the Conservatives’ popularity under then-prime minister Boris Johnson.

As the results come in, the Tories’ decline increases. On Friday evening, when almost all the ballots had been counted, Labor won nearly 170 seats, with the Conservatives losing more than 430, or almost half of those they occupied.

The Liberal Democrats and Greens also gained seats.

“We are probably going to see what is certainly one of the worst, if not the worst, performance of the Conservatives in local elections in the last 40 years,” said opinion research specialist John Curtice.

The defeat in Blackpool South constitutes the eleventh by-election lost by the Conservatives since the elections of December 2019, where they triumphed, then led by Boris Johnson.

Seven of these defeats occurred under Rishi Sunak, in power since October 2022, after succeeding Liz Truss who had barely lasted more than a month in Downing Street.

There are few reasons for celebration for the Conservatives, and the Prime Minister ran to the north-east of England on Friday to congratulate the re-election of Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen.

This victory is proof that “the conservatives are keeping their promise,” he declared, praising in particular the success of several economic projects, and saying he was convinced that voters “will also remain loyal” to the conservatives during the legislative elections.

Nationalist rise

Symbol of the Prime Minister’s unpopularity: Labor won the local election in North Yorkshire, where Rishi Sunak’s constituency is located.

Another worrying sign for the head of government is the rise in power of the nationalist and populist Reform UK party, founded by Brexit champion Nigel Farage, which threatens to deprive the conservatives of precious votes in the legislative elections.

In Blackpool, the Tories only narrowly beat Reform UK, which has only won two seats so far in these local elections.

But the picture is not perfect for Labor, which notably lost votes in communities with a large Muslim population, against a backdrop of criticism of the party’s position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.