British Conservatives suffer losses in 1st electoral test for Sunak

LONDON, UK - Rishi Sunak's Conservatives were on course for heavy losses in the British prime minister's first electoral test as the opposition Labour and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in polls for local council seats across England, reported PA Media/dpa.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said "regrettably" some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Conservatives, or Tories, had run a minority administration - a result branded "terrible" by government minister and local member of Parliament, Johnny Mercer.

Labour replaced the Conservatives as the largest party in the seaside port town of Hartlepool and Worcester in central England.

The Liberal Democrats appeared confident in Windsor and Maidenhead, which would be a shock defeat for the Tories.

Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term "blip", but with the prospect of a general election in 2024, there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

They have sought to manage expectations by pointing to forecasts which suggest they could lose more than 1,000 seats if things go badly.

The Tories will seek to portray any defeat below that scale as better than expected - although the loss of hundreds of councillors will not help morale within the Conservative ranks.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the party had experienced a "bit of a blip" following the turmoil which saw Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ousted before Sunak took office.

He attempted to present the expected losses as mid-term blues for the Tories, telling Sky News: "The British people are a very sensible group of folk and they understand what's important. Occasionally, they like to give political parties a bit of a reminder of who the politicians serve. Certainly when you get into being mid-term in a government you get quite a bit of that." With full results from 34 out of the 230 councils where elections were being held: - The Tories lost control of two councils and suffered a net loss of 53 councillors.

- Labour had gained control of one council and put on 47 councillors.

- The Liberal Democrats had put on a net 15 councillors.

More than 8,000 council seats were up for election on Thursday across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

The last time the same council seats were contested was in May 2019, when the Tories performed poorly under Theresa May as she struggled with Brexit and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn also suffered.

About a quarter of the votes are expected to be counted overnight, with the rest counted during the day on Friday. - BERNAMA-PA Media/dpa