Last night, a Conservative “meltdown” cost the party seven council elections. Theresa May’s party lost seven out of the nine council seats it was defending.
Labour MP Steve Reed branded the evening a Tory “meltdown”, as the main opposition nabbed three of their seats. Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley also celebrated after his party took two. Adding to the Tory trauma, an independent gained a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire, while the Lib Dems took another in East Cambridgeshire.
The only solace for May’s team was a gain from the Lib Dems in Colchester.
Breakdown
Six of the seven seats gained by opposition parties are within parliamentary constituencies held by the Conservatives with majorities of over 5,000. Still, the governing party lost them. And that is a worrying sign for them.
In the June general election, the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour surge apparently destroyed the notion of a safe seat for the Conservatives. Labour took Kensington, for example, a constituency held by the Conservative Party since it was created.
Fast forward to 7 September, and the Greens won council seats from the Conservatives in Lewes and Cannock Chase. The incumbent councillor triggered the by-election in Cannock Chase after she was disqualified. The Conservatives’ Joanne Christian had failed to turn up to any council meetings for six months. Labour also won a seat in Cannock Chase, along with one in Babergh and one in North Lanarkshire.
Hednesford South (Cannock Chase) result:
GRN: 48.3% (+42.1)
CON: 29.3% (-11.9)
LAB: 17.9% (-13.2)
UKIP: 4.5% (-16.9)— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
Ouse Valley & Ringmer (Lewes) result:
GRN: 38.7% (+22.3)
CON: 30.6% (+1.6)
LDEM: 21.2% (-8.0)
LAB: 7.7% (-4.4)
UKIP: 1.8% (-11.5)— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
Hednesford Green Heath (Cannock Chase) result:
LAB: 43.9% (+11.1)
CON: 36.8% (-3.7)
GRN: 10.5% (+7.4)
CIP: 5.1% (-0.2)
UKIP: 3.5% (-14.7)— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
Sudbury South (Babergh) result:
LAB: 42.7% (+16.3)
CON: 42.6% (+5.3)
LDEM: 14.7% (+1.6)One vote majority.
No UKIP and Grn as prev.— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
First prefs:
LAB: 38.5% (+2.0)
BUSP: 23.3% (+12.2)
SNP: 20.6% (-8.4)
CON: 11.5% (-1.8)
IND: 5.0% (-5.1)
GRN: 0.7% (+0.7)
UKIP: 0.5% (+0.5)— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
Ely South (East Cambridgeshire) result:
LDEM: 39.9% (+13.2)
CON: 31.1% (-19.7)
LAB: 29.0% (+6.5)Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 7, 2017
Golden Valley S. (Herefordshire) result:
IND: 42.7% (+42.7) GAIN
CON: 23.5% (-42.3)
IND: 14.1% (+14.1)
GRN: 10.1% (-7.1)
LAB: 9.6% (+9.6)— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 8, 2017
The disappointing results for the Conservatives back up the current opinion polls. One of the most recent surveys places Corbyn’s Labour five points ahead of May’s Conservatives. Survation, the polling company that came closest to accurately predicting the 2017 general election result, conducted the survey. Aside from that, Labour has been ahead in 16 out of 19 opinion polls carried out since the general election. The Conservatives have been ahead in just two, with one poll placing the two main parties neck and neck.
With the Corbyn movement on the brink of power, the establishment is bricking it. Even banking giant Morgan Stanley predicts May’s precarious government will collapse in 2018. Especially given the general election that would follow, the loss of seven council seats on 7 September is yet another bad sign for May. With enough momentum and mobilisation from supporters, Corbyn could sweep to power.
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