Some election results

The. Conservative are going to be crucified at the polls. Maybe then the spineless will understand they need massive changes at the top if they hope to be re-elected come the General Election.

I do think it could be interesting.

The so called blue wall in the south will hopefully be another 1989 Berlin Wall.

And another one-

South Hunsley (East Riding of Yorkshire) council by-election result:

LDEM: 54.7% (+41.1)
CON: 36.8% (-28.5)
LAB: 4.5% (-6.8)
GRN: 4.1% (+4.1)

No UKIP (-9.9) as prev.

Votes cast: 2,468

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.

This from the ultra-Tory supporting newspaper:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10721683/Tories-set-lose-800-council-seats-month-Boris-warned-Starmer-replace-PM.html

West Auckland (Durham) council by-election result:

LAB: 56.3% (+12.2)
CON: 32.6% (-10.2)
IND: 11.0% (+11.0)

No other Ind (-13.0) as prev.

Votes cast: 1,697

Labour GAIN from Conservative.

Interesting! Please could we have the dates (months)?

They were all this week.

Some predictions

It seems that the local Tories see Johnson as such a liability, that they are airbrushing him out of their election literature.

"Boris on the brink as Blue Wall set for knife-edge local election battle against Lib Dems

BORIS JOHNSON's political career is on the brink as the Liberal Democrats plot to take advantage of ex-Conservative voters turning against the Tories in the 'Blue Wall' following 'partygate'."

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1596721/boris-johnson-conservative-party-liberal-democrats-local-elections-surrey-woking-ont

I love the use of the word "plot" here - classic Daily Express hinting that the LibDems (who they rarely ever mention) are "plotting" something very sinister

I wish the Lib Dems all the very best wishes.

Thank you Whitewave

I just wish we could have a by-election in Somerton and Frome, where the local Tories are trying to distance themselves from David Warburton, accused of sexual harrassment by three different women, seen to be using class A drugs and borrowing a lot of money from a very dodgy Russian.

How do we get rid of this dishonourable member?

Thanks, Growstuff, re them all being this week. I'd thought they weren't allowed during election purdah but obvs OK in areas where no elections. Didn't think of that.

I'm not sure how the purdah rules apply to by-elections held outside the election "window".

The purdah applies six weeks before any election in a local area, so they will have had it before the by election in that patch only. These are places where there is no election in May, so they can hold their by elections on dates to suit their local needs.

Voting intention in London

Election Maps UK
@ElectionMapsUK
Local Elections Voting Intention (London):

LAB: 45% (+1)
CON: 25% (-4)
LDM: 12% (=)
GRN: 10% (+2)

The Times have reported a false story saying that the Tories will lose up to 800 seats in the local elections.

They will lose nowhere near that amount according to Rory Stewart. Perhaps 300, but it is to make their eventual losses not look so bad.

It will be interesting to see what Johnson's reaction will be.

He's insisted he's not going to resign and will be "getting on with the job". But for how long can he keep up this arrogant bravado?

Is the voting against him or the party - or both? Or against Sunak's economic policies? Are Brexiters who lent their votes to the Tories not happy with the Brexit they've got so far... which is a bit different from the one they were promised?

The heinous hikes in energy prices could have been tempered with intervention to mitigate the impact but government has chosen not to do that. I think this has upset an awful lot of people. I won't even mention the "Loan"...

This is what I think will happen. I don't think they will lose anywhere near the 800 councillors predicted, but lose some they will. They may also even gain some.

... and Johnson will declare the result "disappointing" but not catastrophic. There will be some bumbling rhetoric about having "listened to the people" and he will then focus on pulling something out of the hat that will appeal to his fans. His anti EU stance (hostility) is quite popular, as is his position on Ukraine... and he's not lost sight of the fact that immigration is a real bone of contention. And, of course, he's now threatening to "privatise the a*se off the Passport Office" - but how popular that will be as a vote winner is yet to be seen. I do wonder why, if privatisation is such a good thing, he's using it as a weapon - as a warning... if it was such a good enterprise, why hasn't he done it already instead of using it as a 'punishment'?

I suppose ultimately, it will depend on how much damage the party thinks he's done to it...

Elmbridge, Havering, Pendle, Vale of Glamorgan and Worcester, will be interesting.

The Vale of Glamorgan will be interesting, but I’m not sure what it will do to reflect results elsewhere. They have a Conservative MP, a Labour MS (both there for many years), more Tory seats on the Council by 1, but a Labour/Plaid coalition leadership of the council. 10 former councillors aren’t standing, and there are hotly contested seats everywhere. I think it would be fair to say that it will be a very personality driven choice for most of the electorate, so who knows what will happen!

I just hope that all those voters who are disgusted with the Conservative party pay attention to the situation in their local area and realising that FPTP often favours them, vote tactically for the candidate best placed to defeat them, whether Liberal Democrat, Green or Labour.

?NEW: Local Election Voting Intention, LONDON

?LAB: 50% (+6)
?CON: 23% (-6)
?LDEM: 12% (-1)
?GRN: 9% (=)

I have had election panfle

Oops…

I have had election material from both Independent candidates and the Conservative candidate, non whatsoever from Liberal Democrats, Labour or Greens.

The only posters in windows or boards in gardens are either Independent or Conservative, not sure which way our local council will go.

No up and coming Election in my area , so not all areas going to the poles.