Tories Lose Control in Their Strongholds Barnet, Westminster and Wandsworth; Vote Counting Continues

On Thursday, voters cast ballots in local elections in England, Scotland and Wales. In England, over 4,000 councillors in 146 councils were up for election in major cities, such as Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and all 32 London boroughs.

The UK Labour Party has managed to win control of three flagship Conservative London boroughs in the country’s 5 May local elections, with senior Tories admitting defeat.

Keir Starmer’s party got the better of the Conservatives in the Wandsworth and Barnet borough councils, as well as Westminster City Council. It was the first time that Labour won Barnet and Westminster since both councils were established back in the 1960s.

As for Wandsworth, Labour called its victory in the borough "monumental" as an unnamed source told Sky News that “this was the Tories' jewel in the crown”.

“Voters in Wandsworth have put their trust in the change Keir Starmer's Labour represents,” the source claimed.

They were echoed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who hailed the party’s Wandsworth win as a “historic, joyous night for Labour”.

Barnet Conservative leader Daniel Thomas, in turn, warned that the Labour victory in Barnet "does not bode well" for the Conservatives “to form a government in future general elections”.

“I think this is a warning shot from Conservative supporters and I think our loss today is not only due to the fact that I have just mentioned but also a fair number of Conservative voters who just didn't go out to vote, stayed at home”, Thomas pointed out.

The remarks came as ballot papers are still being counted in London and beyond, with the final results expected between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening, when local election officials are due to announce "who will manage bin collections, schools, council tax rates and parking fines in England, Wales and Scotland for the next four years", according to the news outlet My London.