Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that the Conservative Party has faced ‘tough’ moments in the local election cycle as the Tories faced significant losses of London councils to Labour, a shift to support for the Liberal Democrats in southern England. Losses were also made in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the latter of which expects to see Sinn Féin become the largest party for the first time in its history.
These results follow after voters turned out on Thursday 5th May to elect 200 councils across England, Wales, and Scotland, as well as the devolved Stormont assembly in Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC that the results had been ‘mixed’, despite several Conservative council leaders blaming Mr Johnson for the election losses. Ex-Carlisle City Council Conservative leader John Mallinson blamed ‘Partygate’ amongst other issues, stating that voters didn’t think that the Prime Minister could be ‘relied upon to tell the truth.’
Johnson is a ‘poor option’ to lead
Mr Mallinson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Prime Minister ‘bears a lot of the responsibility’ for the Conservatives’ ‘very poor’ results in local elections. Mallinson asserted that the next General Election could see similarly poor results for the Tories, stating that they ‘will pay for it’ and that Johnson is a ‘poor option’ to lead the party into another election.
‘I think it is not just Partygate, there is the integrity issue. Basically I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth,’ he said.
Similarly, in Portsmouth, where Conservatives lost four seats, Tory leader Simon Bosher said the Prime Minister should ‘take a good, strong look in the mirror.’
In reference to the four lost seats, Mr Bosher said; ‘Those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what’s been going on in Westminster.’
University towns doubtless saw the impact of traditionally left-leaning student voters. Birmingham City Council, for example, in a city that boasts five universities, saw the Liberal Democrats gain four seats, the Green Party gaining one, with Labour and the Conservatives both losing council positions.
‘Incredible outcome’
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all saw nationalist parties make significant gains. In Scotland, the SNP once again finished as the largest party in council elections, closely followed by Labour as over 60 Scottish Conservatives lost their council positions. Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon described the result as a ‘quite incredible outcome.’
Northern Ireland – whilst still counting votes – is on the brink of seeing its first ever nationalist First Minister, Sinn Féin’s leader Mary Lou McDonald, as the devolved Stormont assembly has been up for re-election. Currently vying with the unionist DUP, Sinn Féin’s ultimate goal is for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunify with the Republic of Ireland.
McDonald said on Friday night that planning for a referendum on unity would begin within five years.
Finally, in Wales, the Conservatives lost control of their only council, as well as a loss of over 80 seats. Plaid Cymru, Wales’ most prominent nationalist party, won control of three councils; Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Anglesey. Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said the Prime Minister would agree that the results in Wales were ‘an instruction we can do better than this.’
Mr Hart added; ‘I think if you were talking to Boris yourself – he’d be saying pretty well exactly that: ‘Okay, we’ve been given a pretty firm talking to by voters in Wales today.’
‘It’s tantamount to a severe ticking off and an instruction we can do better than this.’