Britain's ruling Conservatives suffered high-profile losses as results poured in Friday from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first major electoral test since he took office last year.
In the depths of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the local council elections held Thursday across swathes of England illuminated the main parties' standing ahead of a UK-wide general election expected next year.
Transport minister Huw Merriman indicated that his party was paying the price for the chaotic few weeks last year when it ditched Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss as leader in quick succession. Labour was up 110 seats, and took control of prized targets in Plymouth in southwest England, Medway in the southeast and Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands.Extrapolating to a national result in the next general election, Mahmood said Labour's vote share lead over the Tories stood at more than 8% - enough for leader Keir Starmer to become prime minister.
The smaller Liberal Democrat party was up 56 seats, and was making inroads in wealthy Conservative districts on the edge of London that are represented nationally by members of Sunak's cabinet - the"blue wall".
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