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As it happenedended

Local elections - as it happened: Corbyn insists Labour ‘ready for an election', despite missing top London targets

All the latest updates, as they happened

Lizzy Buchan,Ashley Cowburn
Friday 04 May 2018 12:45 EDT
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Local Elections 2018: The results so far

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Labour has urged the government to scrap controversial ID pilots, which saw some voters turned away during local elections in England.

Parties faced mixed results at the polls, although Jeremy Corbyn insisted Labour was "absolutely ready" for a general election, despite failing to deliver on its pledge to snatch key councils from the Tory clutches.

While Labour made gains in areas like Plymouth and Trafford, it was unable to win the Tory "crown jewels" in London, such as Wandsworth and Westminster.

The party had hoped to seize Kensington and Chelsea from the Tories in the wake of public outcry over the Grenfell Tower tragedy but failed to do so, while its chances in Barnet - which has a large Jewish population - may have been damaged by the recent antisemitism row.

The Conservatives capitalised on the near-collapse of Ukip, and gained control of councils in Peterborough, Southend and Basildon, with a small swing in their favour outside London.

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats won several councils - including target seats of Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames - while the Greens elected a string of new councillors.

The Conservatives have gained control of Peterborough, winning seven of the 18 seats contested.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:33

John McDonnell says the media has been "hyping" Labour's chances and there was never going to be "huge shifts".

“The media hype in advance was completely inaccurate,” he tells the BBC.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:34

State of parties after 20 of 150 councils

Conservatives: 8 councils (+1); 115 seats (+21)

Labour: 9 councils (-1); 158 seats (-10)

LibDems: 16 seats (+7)

Green: 1 seat

UKIP: lost 12 seats

Independent: 22 seats (-8)

Ratepayers and Residents: 3 seats (+2)

No overall control: 3 councils

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:37

Portsmouth will remain under no overall control, with results in from 12 of the 14 wards being contested.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:40

Conservative former party chairman Grant Shapps, who has been highly critical of Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership, said No 10 and Tory headquarters had "got their act together".

He told BBC News: "That may well be coming through in the results this evening."

"Four years ago I was looking at a Conservative vote of 30% in the polls and today I expect Theresa May will be looking at significantly more than that, I imagine in the upper 30s, maybe near 40," he added.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:43

London mayor Sadiq Khan indicated Labour would struggle to take Wandsworth from the Conservatives.

"The reality is we currently have 19 councillors and we need 31 to form a council," he told BBC News.

"That's a big mountain to climb. If we can go from 19 upwards, that's progress."

Mr Khan said Labour's objective was to build on the number of councillors they achieved in 2014.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:47
Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:51

State of parties after 31 of 150 councils

Conservatives: 13 councils (+2); 201 seats (+40)

Labour: 14 councils (-1); 233 seats (-19)

LibDems: 30 seats (+8)

Green: 5 seats (+1)

UKIP: lost 17 seats

Independent: 30 seats (-12)

Liberal: lost 1 seat

Ratepayers and Residents: 10 seats

No overall control: 4 councils (-1)

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:54

The Conservatives have gained Peterborough from no overall control. And Labour has missed out on its Walsall target, with the council remaining in no overall 

control. 

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:58

Labour have gained Ramsbottom (Bury) from the Conservatives.

Kristin Hugo4 May 2018 01:59

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