Local elections results – live: Labour win in West Midlands and London as Sunak facing fresh rebellion

Rishi Sunak is facing fresh Conservative unrest after Labour claimed victory in the West Midlands mayoral election, beating Andy Street in a tight race.

The newly elected mayor, Richard Parker, secured a majority against his Conservative opponent who has served two terms and held office since 2017.

The result is the latest in a string of Labour mayoral and council wins nationwide as the Conservatives suffered historic blows. “I don’t think he’s out of the woods,” a former minister told the Financial Times, referring to Mr Sunak’s position.

Meanwhile, Labour’s Sadiq Khan secured a third term as Mayor of London beating Conservative Susan Hall.

Mr Sunak also suffered terrible losses in council elections as the Conservatives lost more than 400 councillors and control of ten councils.

State of play

Total no of councils - Lab 50 (+8) | Lib Dem: 12 (+ 2)| Con: 6 (-10) | Ind & Others: 1 (+1) | Greens: 0 | NOC: 36 (-1)

Councillors - Lab 1,140 (+185) | Lib Dem: 521 (+104) | Con: 513 (-473) | Ind & Others: 228 (+93) | Green: 181 (+74) | RA 48 (+11) | Workers Party of Britain 4 (+4) | Reform 2 (+2)

Key Points

• Andy Street loses tight West Midlands mayoral race

• Concerns of rebellion against Rishi Sunak

• Sadiq Khan wins historic third term as London mayor

• Labour’s Tracy Brabin re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire

• Full list of declared councils and mayoral contests

• Labour would have 9% lead at general election - but fall short of majority

16:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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Tories warned not to embrace rightwing extremism after disastrous local elections

16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory MPs have been warned that they did not get an electoral dubbing because they “were not right wing or extreme enough” as a battle over the party’s future begins.

The defeat of former Tory Mayor Andy Street in the West Midlands late on Saturday night has reopened questions over whether the party “is conservative enough” or should change leader from Rishi Sunak.

But Boris Johnson’s former director of communications Guto Harri joined Mr Street in warning against a “drift to the right.”

Tories warned not to embrace rightwing extremism after disastrous local elections

What we learned from local votes ahead of looming UK general election

15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Millions of voters in England cast ballots Thursday in an array of local elections, the last big test before a looming U.K. general election that all indicators suggest will see the Labour Party return to power after 14 years in the wilderness.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was barely able to point to any big success for his Conservative Party, confirming that the electoral coalition that gave the party a big win in the 2019 general election has frayed, if not completely dissolved, in the wake of a series of political dramas and the cost of living crisis.

For Labour leader Keir Starmer, the results provided confirmation of what opinion polls have shown for two years — that Labour has recovered from its 2019 low and is on course to win the election comfortably.

What we learned from local votes ahead of looming UK general election

Pat McFadden cannot foresee Labout working alongside SNP in Westminster

15:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden said he cannot foresee a Labour administration working alongside the SNP in Westminster.

Asked if he “could imagine” the two parties working together if Labour does not win a majority, Mr McFadden told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips “no”.

He said: “Our aim is to win a majority, to govern, to meet the mood for change, and we’re not planning any alliances or pacts with anyone.”

Asked if he would “rule out idea of co-operation with the SNP”, he said: “You can put it to me from now until Christmas and my answer will be the same, we’re going to aim for a majority government, we’re going to meet that mood for change, we’re not planning on any pacts or alliances with anyone and I think - after the results of the last few days - we go into that fight with no complacency, but with a belief and confidence that we’ve seen in the votes that were cast a few days ago.”

John Rentoul: No, the local elections don’t point to a hung parliament – but Sunak could still make it happen

14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Professor Michael Thrasher, the Sky News boffin, caused consternation on Friday by publishing a projection from the local elections that suggested the results would produce a hung parliament if repeated in the general election.

This is where the phrase “just a bit of fun”, a watchword of Peter Snow, the BBC’s former king of the swingometer, comes into play.

Thrasher is right to say that if Labour’s share of the vote was seven percentage points ahead of the Conservatives in a general election, the party would probably fall short of a majority in the House of Commons.

Read more from John Rentoul here:

No, the local elections don’t point to a hung parliament – but it could still happen

‘HS2 had no impact on Tory losses in local elections,’ transport minister says

14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Mark Harper did not accept cancelling the second phase of HS2 had an impact on the Conservatives’ results in the local elections.

He described outgoing West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street as a “fantastic mayor”.

But when asked by the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg about the impact of scrapping the northern leg of HS2 on the results, he said: “Well that illustrates I think something really important about the Prime Minister. He is interested in taking difficult decisions that might not be popular with everyone but are in the long-term interests of the country and are the right decision.”

Pressed that this was not in Mr Street’s long-term interests, Mr Harper added: “Well I disagree. Every single penny of the money we saved from cancelling the second phase of HS2 is being reinvested in transport.

“I was in the West Midlands just a few weeks ago with Andy Street for the launch of a £1.75 billion Midlands rail hub, improving the connectivity of Birmingham across the country.”

13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moment Britain First London mayoral candidate interrupts Sadiq Khan’s victory speech

Liam Fox: Replacing Rishi will rile Tory voters even more

13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Voters have no great love for Keir Starmer and they could yet be won around by the prime minister if his MPs stop their sniping, says veteran MP Sir Liam Fox:

The results of the local and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England were supposed to follow a clear narrative – that Labour were on course for a massive Parliamentary majority in a general election and Rishi Sunak’s premiership would be on the rocks with rebel factions waiting to displace him.

The fact that this has not happened begs the question, “why not”?

One of the major factors is the analysis of the results themselves.

Read more here:

Liam Fox: Replacing Rishi will rile Tory voters even more

Last council results announced

12:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The last of the 107 English council election results was announced at Salford early on Sunday afternoon, with Labour winning 18 of the seats being contested, gaining one, the Lib Dems one and Conservatives two, losing one.

The Conservatives lost 397 council seats across England in the council elections, with Labour gaining 232, the Lib Dems 98 and Greens 64.

Labour won a total of 1,158 seats, the Lib Dems 522, Conservatives 515, Greens 181, independents 228, ratepayers and residents 48, the Workers Party of Britain four and Reform UK two.

The Conservatives lost control of 10 councils, with Labour gaining eight and the Lib Dems two.

Labour now control 51 of the 107 councils, the Lib Dems 12, Conservatives six and independents one, with 37 under no overall control.

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wins more votes than rivals combined

12:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andy Burnham has vowed to “make big things happen” after he won a third successive term as the mayor of Greater Manchester with more votes than all his opponents combined.

The Labour candidate won by a landslide with 63.4 per cent of the vote - miles ahead of runner-up Conservative candidate Laura Evans with 10.39 per cent.

Reform gained 7.46 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Greens with 6.92 per cent and Lib Dems with 4.25 per cent.

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wins more votes than rivals combined

Tory rebel Braverman urges Sunak to change course after election blows

12:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak must change his political course to remain in power as there is no time to change Tory leader, Suella Braverman has said following a bruising set of local election results.

The senior Tory urged the Prime Minister to move to the right in response to the poll defeats, which saw a shock victory for Labour in the West Midlands mayoral contest on Saturday night.

Labour’s Richard Parker seized victory from outgoing Conservative mayor Andy Street by a mere 1,508 votes.

Tory rebel Braverman urges Sunak to change course after election blows

Former Tory minister calls for Boris Johnson to return to ‘front line of politics'

11:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Conservative former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns has called for Boris Johnson to return to the “front line of politics”.

Dame Andrea submitted a letter of no-confidence in Rishi Sunak in November.

She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I think now we’ve got to take the fight to Labour, I would like to see real common sense conservatism, honouring our manifesto commitments, I would like to see the return of Boris on the front line of politics, whether that’s going for a seat in the next election and being front and centre of our election campaign.

Asked if she could see Johnson and Sunak campaigning together on joint visits, she said: “I haven’t spoken to Boris, I haven’t spoken to the Prime Minister about this, but I’m an optimist, I’m not sure whether they’d share a stage together, but look how wonderful it is Boris campaigning in these elections.

“He’s still got a pull and he’s still got a pull in my area; still on the doorstep, Trevor, people say to me that they’re saddened that Boris is no longer on the front line of politics.”

Local election results in full: Who has declared victory in council and mayoral ballots?

11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Conservatives have seen their worst set of results in 40 years after millions of voters cast their ballots on Thursday to choose their preferred choice of councils and mayors.

Labour took the mayoral election race by a storm, as Sadiq Khan secured a historic third term by winning the capital’s majority.

Here are the results:

Local election results in full: Who has won the council and mayoral ballots?

Sunak’s plan ‘is not working’- Braverman

10:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Prime Minister’s plan is not working and Rishi Sunak needs to fix it as there is no time to change Tory leader, Suella Braverman has said.

The Conservative former home secretary told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “The plan is not working and I despair at these terrible results.

“There is no spinning these results, there is no disguising the fact that these have been terrible election results for the Conservatives and they suggest that we are heading to a Labour government and that fills me with horror.

“I love my country, I care about my party and I want us to win, and I am urging the Prime Minister to change course, to with humility reflect on what voters are telling us, and change the plan and the way that he is communicating and leading us.”

Asked about whether she wanted to see a change in leader, Ms Braverman said: “I just don’t think that is a feasible prospect right now, we don’t have enough time and it is impossible for anyone new to come and change our fortunes to be honest. There is no superman or superwoman out there who can do it.”

10:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andy Burnham makes cheeky request to people of Manchester as he’s re-elected mayor

Tories warned not to embrace ‘rightwing extremism’ after disastrous local elections

10:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory MPs have been warned that they did not get an electoral dubbing because they “were not right wing or extreme enough” as a battle over the party’s future begins.

The defeat of former Tory Mayor Andy Street in the West Midlands late last night has reopened questions over whether the party “is conservative enough” or should change leader from Rishi Sunak.

But Boris Johnson’s former director of communications Guto Harri joined Mr Street in warning against a “drift to the right.”

Our political editor David Maddox has more:

Tories warned not to embrace ‘rightwing extremism’ after disastrous local elections

Sunak needs to own the results of local elections, Braverman says

10:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak needs to own the results of the local elections, Suella Braverman said.

Tory former minister Ms Braverman told the BBC: “Rishi Sunak has been leading us for about 18 months, he has been making these decisions, these are consequences of those decisions. He needs to own this, and therefore he needs to fix it.”

She added: “I think the problem is that our voters are on strike, they are not coming out to support us, we have seen that with turnouts and we have seen that with losing Conservative strongholds.”

The former home secretary called on Rishi Sunak to move rightwards with more tax cuts, and a cap on legal migration among the policies she suggested.

Asked for her evidence of a need to shift further to the right, she said: “The evidence is that people are not voting for what he is doing because they don’t believe that we are serious about some of these issues.”

When asked if she regretted supporting Mr Sunak’s leadership, Ms Braverman said: “Honestly, yes I do.”

09:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Mark Harper would not be drawn into a debate about whether the Conservative Party should shift rightwards or to the centre to win over voters.

Andy Street, the outgoing Conservative West Midlands Mayor, has urged the Prime Minister not to heed calls from Tory rebels to shift to the right following the local election results.

Asked about Mr Street’s remarks by Sky News, Transport Secretary Mr Harper said: “What he is talking about there is what I just said.

“He is talking about you focus on the priorities of the British people, that is what you do.”

When put to him that Mr Street had suggested more than that, Mr Harper replied: “We are going to stick to focusing on the priorities that the Prime Minister set out, which are the Government’s priorities, the Prime Minister’s priorities but they are also the priorities of the British people.”

Asked about whether it was time to call a general election, Mr Harper said Rishi Sunak was focused on on those priorities, adding: “He wants to continue delivering on those priorities before we go to the country.”

Transport secretary urges voters to ‘get behind the prime minister’

08:59 , Holly Evans

Transport secretary Mark Harper has faced questioning on Sky News, and has insisted his party’s best course is to “focus on delivering on people’s priorities”.

Asked about the poor performance of the governing party in the local elections, the cabinet minister says the “key thing” is to “get behind the prime minister”.

He adds it is always “disappointing” to lose councillors, mayors, and other party representatives in elections.

But Mr Harper insists he and Rishi Sunak are “up for the fight” against the Labour Party to try to win the next general election.

Police are being ‘weaponised’ by politicians in local elections, former top prosecutor warns

08:22 , Holly Evans

A former top prosecutor has hit out after the Conservatives twice reported Labour candidates to police just days before the local elections.

The double whammy came as Rishi Sunak’s party faced predictions it would lose up to 500 councillors across England and struggle in two crunch mayoral votes.

Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor, warned police forces were “being weaponised as part of the campaign by those who don’t care about the problems facing policing – particularly resourcing”.

Read the full article from Kate Devlin here:

Police are being ‘weaponised’ in local elections, former top prosecutor warns

Manchester mayor wins more votes than rivals combined

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Andy Burnham has vowed to “make big things happen” after he won a third successive term as the mayor of Greater Manchester with more votes than all his opponents combined.

The Labour candidate won by a landslide with 63.4 per cent of the vote, miles ahead of runner-up Conservative candidate Laura Evans with 10.39 per cent.

Reform gained 7.46 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Greens with 6.92 per cent and Lib Dems with 4.25 per cent.

“I’m overwhelmed and humbled that so many people have again given me their support,” Mr Burnham said after securing victory.

“I’m always conscious that people who perhaps will usually vote for other parties at a general election have lent me their support.”

No, the local elections don’t point to a hung parliament – but Sunak could still make it happen

07:52 , Holly Evans

Professor Michael Thrasher, the Sky News boffin, caused consternation on Friday by publishing a projection from the local elections that suggested the results would produce a hung parliament if repeated in the general election.

This is where the phrase “just a bit of fun”, a watchword of Peter Snow, the BBC’s former king of the swingometer, comes into play.

Thrasher is right to say that if Labour’s share of the vote was seven percentage points ahead of the Conservatives in a general election, the party would probably fall short of a majority in the House of Commons.

Read the full article from John Rentoul here:

No, the local elections don’t point to a hung parliament – but it could still happen

Labour’s youngest councillor, 18, wins seat week before A-Level exams

07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

One of the youngest councillors elected in the UK has won her seat just a week before she’s due to take her A-level exams.

Daisy Blakemore-Creedon, 18, was elected to Peterborough City Council after beating the sitting Tory councillor Andy Coles in the Fletton & Woodston ward.

The Labour candidate said she was “overwhelmed” by the local support when she gained 940 votes to beat her opponent by 282 ballots.

Just one day after her victory, she told The Independent that she had thrown herself into her new role and had already begun to carry out her new duties - despite having to sit exams next week.

“I wasn’t expecting to win as it was quite a short campaign so I was feeling very overwhelmed when it happened,” she said.

Athena Stavrou reports.

Labour’s youngest councillor, 18, wins seat week before A-Level exams

Rishi Sunak says he has ‘redoubled my resolve’ ahead of general election

07:28 , Holly Evans

Despite grumbling from some rebel voices, Rishi Sunak appeared resolute that his leadership was still right for the party and the country.

In a statement, he said: “It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan.

“So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country.”

Voices: Catastrophic Tory election results show the writing is on the wall for Sunak

07:00 , Athena Stavrou

As the prime minister himself dramatically put it the other day, they will need the biggest comeback in history to turn things around in the course of the next few months, writes Sean O’Grady:

Catastrophic election results show writing is on the wall for Sunak | Sean O’Grady

ICYMI: Moment Britain First London mayoral candidate interrupts Sadiq Khan’s victory speech

06:30 , Athena Stavrou

This was the moment that Britain First’s mayoral candidate Nick Scanlon interrupted newly re-elected mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s victory speech after winning a historic third term.

‘Khan killed London’ the candidate shouted while walking around the stage behind the mayor, who won 43.8% of all votes cast, before being warned that security would remove people who disrupted the speeches.

Mr. Khan secured just over 1,088,000 votes to be re-elected London Mayor, followed by his conservative rival Susan Hall, who secured just under 813,000 votes.

Concerns of rebellion against Sunak

06:17 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Rishi Sunak is facing renewed Tory unrest after his party suffered defeat in mayoral and council elections.

The West Midlands contest, which the Tories were on course to win, was seen as a potential lifeline in an otherwise disastrous set of results for the Conservatives. The newly elected mayor, Richard Parker, secured a majority against Andy Street by a thin margin.

The results were a big setback for Mr Sunak ahead of this year’s general elections.

“I don’t think he’s out of the woods,” one former cabinet minister told the Financial Times, referring to Mr Sunak.

“People saying the rebellion is over are being rather premature. I think the loss of Street as well as Hall will cause a lot of people to consider whether it’s sensible to remain on the current course.”

Labour leader calls West Midlands victory ‘phenomenal’

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Labour leader Keir Starmer hailed the result in the West Midlands as “phenomenal” and “beyond our expectations” as the party notched up a string of wins by high-profile incumbents as well as scoring a clean sweep of unexpected victories.

“People across the country have had enough of Conservative chaos and decline and voted for change with Labour. Our fantastic new mayor Richard Parker stands ready to deliver a fresh start for the West Midlands,” Sir Keir said.

It came after his party dominated mayoral elections across England - winning in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester.

London Mayoral Election 2024: Results in full

05:30 , Jabed Ahmed

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has been re-elected for a historic third term as Mayor of London.

The result follows what has been a long and fractious campaign filled with blunders and accusations of islamophobia and racism.

Labour’s Sadiq Khan secured just over 1,088,000 (43.8%) votes to be re-elected London Mayor, a majority of some 275,000 over Conservative rival Susan Hall, who secured just under 813,000 (32.7%) votes.

Here are the results for each constituency in full:

London Mayoral Election 2024: Results in full

Braverman fires salvo at Sunak over Torry losses

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has laid the blame for Tory mayoral election losses at the door of Downing Street.

She said ousting prime minister Rishi Sunak as party leader “won’t work”, but wrote in the Telegraph: “The hole to dig us out of is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling.”

Outgoing West Midlands mayor Andy Street has urged the Conservative leader not to stray rightwards, and to stick to a moderate path in order to win votes in the future.

“I would definitely not advise that drift,” he told Sky News. “The message is clear: winning from that centre ground is what happens.”

Full story: Tory mayor Andy Street loses tight West Midlands race in new blow to Sunak

04:30 , Athena Stavrou

Tory mayor Andy Street has been defeated in the crucial battle for the West Midlands in a result that has left Rishi Sunak’s premiership hanging by a thread.

The shock defeat follows a difficult campaign for the Tories amid narrowing polls and party turmoil with increasing questions over the prime minister’s leadership and Labour left to boast that the victory in the West Midlands will herald a “wipeout” of Tory MPs in the general election.

Read the full story below:

Tory mayor Andy Street loses tight West Midlands race in new blow to Sunak

Sunak defiant in taking ‘fight to Labour’ despite poll snub

03:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Rishi Sunak admitted it was “disappointing” that Andy Street lost from West Midlands, but insisted the country was “turning a corner”.

Labour’s Richard Parker defeated Conservative Street to become West Midlands Mayor by just 1,508 votes – 0.25 per cent.

“It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan,” Mr Sunak said in a statement.

“So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country.”

Richard Parker: Who is the new mayor for the West Midlands?

03:30 , Athena Stavrou

Labour’s West Midlands mayor, Richard Parker, is originally from Bristol and was raised by a dock worker and school secretary.

He left school at 16 and went straight into work at a local port authority - he has lived in the West Midlands since 1985.

He went on to get a degree in economics before becoming a public finance accountant and joining the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1989.

In an interview with BirminghamLive earlier this year, he claimed he never really wanted to be an accountant and said: “People from backgrounds like me will understand this but what I wanted more than being an accountant was the security of a professional qualification. I felt it would give me some control.”

He has been a Labour Party member for 35 years and managed PwC’s relationship with the party’s frontbench between 2010 and 2015.

In April 2023, he was selected as Labour’s candidate for West Midlands mayor over Birmingham City councillor Nicky Brennan.

The Labour candidate successfully unseated Andy Street on Saturday, winning by 1,508 votes and ending the Tory’s seven-year stint in the city.

Susan Hall elected to London Assembly

02:15 , Athena Stavrou

Five Conservatives were elected to the London Assembly in the city-wide top-up list, including defeated mayoral candidate Susan Hall, and Lord Shaun Bailey, who was beaten by Sadiq Khan in 2021.

Emma Best, Andrew Boff and Alessandro Georgiou were also elected, along with Greens Sian Berry, Caroline Russell and Zack Polanski, and Elly Baker (Labour), Hina Bokhari (Liberal Democrat) and Alex Wilson (Reform UK).

Labour had 951,056 votes in the London-wide contest (38.40%), with the Conservatives on 648,269 (26.17%), Greens 286,746 (11.58%), Lib Dems 215,682 (8.71%) and Reform UK 145,409 (5.87%).

The Labour majority was 302,787 (12.23%) and there was a 2.41% swing from Conservative to Labour.

The result means the political make-up of the assembly is Labour, 11, Conservatives, eight, Greens three, Lib Dems two and Reform UK one.

Richard Parker calls for general election

01:30 , Athena Stavrou

Richard Parker said people “up and down the country” are calling for a general election.

He said: “Up and down the country people are looking for a fresh start; I hope the Prime Minister is watching as well, because if you haven’t heard Rishi Sunak, our people are calling for a general election.

“I will get this region’s future back, and a Labour mayor working with a Labour government will help get Britain’s future back.”

West Midlands results in full

Sunday 5 May 2024 00:30 , Athena Stavrou

Labour’s Richard Parker defeated Conservative Andy Street to become West Midlands Mayor by just 1,508 votes – 0.25%.

He secured 225,590 votes with Mr Street on 224,082 and Akhmed Yakoob (Independent) on 69,621 (11.66%).

Elaine Williams (Reform) secured 34,471 votes (5.77%), while Siobhan Harper-Nunes (Green) was on 31,036 (5.20%) and Sunny Virk (Lib Dem) was last on 12,176 (2.04%) – with the turnout 29.57%.

Andy Street warns party not to drift to right

Saturday 4 May 2024 23:30 , Athena Stavrou

Conservative candidate for the West Midlands mayoralty Andy Street has warned the party not to drift to the right and that “winning from the centre ground is what happens”.

After his defeat was announced, Mr Street told Sky News “it was my campaign, I ran it my way” and said he is “proud of how we’ve build this brand of conservatism here”.

He said: “The thing everyone should take from Birmingham and the West Midlands tonight is this brand of moderative, inclusive, tolerant conservatism, that gets on and delivered, has come within an ace of beating the Labour Party in what they considered to be their backyard – that’s the message from here tonight.”

Asked if he is worried the party is drifting to the right and over-emphasising the threat from Reform UK while “ignoring other voters”, he said: “I would definitely not advise that drift.

“The psychology here is really very straight forward isn’t it: this is the youngest, most diverse, one of the most urban places in Britain and we’ve done, many would say, extremely well over a consistent period.

“The message is clear: winning from that centre ground is what happens.”

Starmer hails political history made in West Midlands

Saturday 4 May 2024 23:00 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Keir Starmer said the West Midlands mayor poll result was a vindication of hard work, adding: “It was always going to be tight – you had an incumbent mayor who was distancing himself from the Government.

“We have never won this mayoralty before. But, look, where we have not been able to persuade people that might otherwise have voted Labour – it is important for me to acknowledge that and say I’ve heard.”

Calling for a general election as soon as possible, Sir Keir added that the Labour Party was a party of service, while the Tories represented chaos.

He said of the people of the West Midlands: “We have shown that our values are their values. We humbly asked them to put their trust and confidence in a changed Labour Party and they did.

“And that is a significant piece of political history that we’ve made here today.”

Sunak insists plan is ‘working’ despite catastrophic losses

Saturday 4 May 2024 22:26 , Athena Stavrou

Rishi Sunak admitted it was “disappointing” that Andy Street lost, but insisted the country was “turning a corner” and that his party’s plan “is working”.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “After a tough few years in the aftermath of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we as a nation are turning a corner. Our plan is working with inflation more than halved, tax cuts worth an average of £900 hitting people’s pockets, state pensions protected with our triple lock, our Rwanda bill signed into law, allowing us to start detaining illegal migrants ready for the first flights, legal migration down and defence spending boosted. We Conservatives understand the priorities of the British people and are delivering on them.

“It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan. So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country.

“It is as clear that Labour just don’t have a plan. They have no plan to defend our nation, no plan to stop the boats and no plan to grow the economy. They are a soft touch and would take us back to square one.

“So by sticking to the plan we will secure our borders, grow the economy and create opportunities so everyone in this great country can thrive and prosper.”

More results to come tomorrow

Saturday 4 May 2024 22:02 , Athena Stavrou

All election results for Saturday have now been declared, with the final three due on Sunday.

They are Salford Council and Kent and Sussex police and crime commissioners, with the results all due in the afternoon.

Starmer vows to re-gain trust of defected Labour voters

Saturday 4 May 2024 21:47 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Keir Starmer struck a conciliatory tone as he told voters who had turned away from Labour over its stance on Gaza that he was determined to win their trust again in the future.

Speaking in Birmingham, the Labour leader said: “I say directly to those who may have voted Labour in the past, but felt on this occasion they couldn’t, that across the West Midlands we are a proud and diverse community.

“I have heard you. I have listened. And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future.”

‘Thank you, and good night’ - Andy Street says goodbye to office after two terms as West Midlands mayor

Saturday 4 May 2024 21:26 , Athena Stavrou

Former West Midlands mayor Andy Street said it has been his “honour to serve and to lead this place for the last seven years”.

He said: “I hope I’ve done it with dignity and integrity.

“And I hope I’ve bequeathed to Richard a combined authority and indeed a role to which young aspiring leaders will want to aspire one day.

“In a sense, I can have done no more than that.

“It has been a great privilege. But tonight, I just wanted to say thank you, and good night.”

Andy Street says time as mayor was ‘honour’ as he faces shock defeat

Saturday 4 May 2024 21:21 , Athena Stavrou

Former West Midlands mayor Andy Street apologised to his Conservative team after being defeated by Labour’s Richard Parker and not making a hat-trick, but added “mark my words, you will be back for that”.

Saying thank you to his team across the region, he added: “It has been my honour to lead you for the last seven years.

“I’m sorry, we couldn’t make it that triple or hat-trick, but mark my words, you will be back for that.”

Mr Street thanked his fellow candidates, including Mr Parker for “how he’s conducted himself in the campaign” and wished him “all strength and wisdom as he takes on this role”.

And he also thanked those who voted for him on Thursday, for the “trust” they showed in him, adding “that’s perhaps the most important word in politics of all”.

Mr Street said: “In the end, it was not to be, but of course, that doesn’t mean I appreciate that trust any less. So thank you, to the voters.”

Parker vows to make West Midlands ‘roaring success again'

Saturday 4 May 2024 21:19 , Athena Stavrou

Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker said he would “make this region a roaring success again” and that his election shows “people are calling for Labour, and calling for change”.

He said: “This is the most important thing I will ever do, this week people here voted for the person and the party.

“They recognise that a Labour mayor can make a positive difference in this region.

“You have put your trust in me and I will repay that trust – I will deliver for you and your family, I promise you that I will deliver jobs, we will fix our public transport system, we will build the homes you need and we will give this region the fresh start it richly deserves.”

He said he would stand up “in the face of unprecedented Tory cuts”, and added: “I will also stand up for those people who didn’t vote for me.

“It also means so much to our country, it shows that people are calling for Labour, and calling for change. People are looking once again at our party and asking us to govern, up and down the country.”

New West Midlands mayor thanks opponent Andy Street after shock win

Saturday 4 May 2024 21:19 , Athena Stavrou

Newly elected Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker thanked Conservative candidate Andy Street after his shock win.

Speaking after his election was announced, Labour’s Mr Parker said: “Thank you first and foremost, thank you.”

He thanked polling staff and added: “Thank you also to Andy (Street), you’ve led this region through a number of great challenges and you deserve a great credit for that.

“You deserve credit for building up the combined authority into the powerhouse that it is today, through the economic shocks, and leading this region when it came out of Covid.

“You’ve been out there representing our region, I absolutely believe that whilst our politics are different, Andy, we both have our best interests of the West Midlands at heart.”

Sunak to step up defence against backbench challenges amid catastrophic losses

Saturday 4 May 2024 20:51 , Athena Stavrou

Rishi Sunak needs to dig the Conservatives out of a hole with bold offers for voters, Conservative former minister Suella Braverman has said amid local election losses.

Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, the former home secretary said: “Let me cut to the chase so no-one wastes time over-analysing this: we must not change our leader. Changing leader now won’t work: the time to do so came and went. The hole to dig us out of is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling.”

Ms Braverman claimed her local Tory councillors in Fareham had “bucked the trend despite the national government” by retaining their seats.

“As I warned in November, the Prime Minister’s plan is not working and he needs to change course,” she said.

But the former cabinet minister claimed all was “not lost” for the Tories among voters, adding: “They want a reason to vote Conservative, but we are failing to provide them with one. We need to be frank about this if we are to have any chance of fixing the problem.”

She urged Mr Sunak to adopt “strong leadership, not managerialism” on tax, migration, the small boats and law and order.

Andy Street’s loss marks huge blow for Conservatives

Saturday 4 May 2024 20:27 , Athena Stavrou

Andy Street has lost the West Midlands mayoralty in a shock defeat for the Conservatives, as Labour mayors swept to victory across England amid a drubbing for Rishi Sunak.

Tory candidate Mr Street had hoped to cling on in the West Midlands, but was narrowly defeated in an upset by his Labour rival Richard Parker, party sources said.

The Conservative loss was part of a double blow for the Prime Minister after Labour’s Sadiq Khan secured a historic third term as Mayor of London.

The party also counted mayoral victories in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester where Andy Burnham returned to power.

With the loss of the West Midlands, the Prime Minister is left with the sole consolation of a mayoral victory in the Tees Valley.

Labour celebrates shock West Midlands win

Saturday 4 May 2024 20:22 , Athena Stavrou

Labour’s deputy national campaign co-ordinator and Lewisham MP Ellie Reeves posted on X: “Congratulations @RichParkerLab.

“An incredible result and significant victory.

“Right across the country people have voted for change and the message is clear…

“It’s time for a General Election and a Labour govt to get our country’s future back.”

Andy Street loses tight West Midland mayoral race

Saturday 4 May 2024 20:17 , Athena Stavrou

Labour has claimed victory in the West Midlands mayoral election beating Conservative candidate Andy Street in a tight race.

The newly elected mayor, Richard Parker, secured a majority against his opponent who has served two terms and held office since 2017.

London Assembly results declared

Saturday 4 May 2024 19:38 , Athena Stavrou

With all 14 constituencies of the London Assembly declared, Labour had 10 seats, the Conservatives three and the Liberal Democrats one.

Coventry results declared in West Midlands mayoral race

Saturday 4 May 2024 19:25 , Athena Stavrou

Labour candidate Richard Parker got 32,704 votes in Coventry, with Tory hopeful Andy Street on 23,237 – leaving the incumbent West Midlands Mayor ahead by more than 11,400, with Sandwell the only council yet to declare.

Count Binface reacts to beating Britain First’s candidate

Saturday 4 May 2024 18:41 , Athena Stavrou

London mayoral hopeful Count Binface said “down with fascism, up with Ceefax” after discovering he had beaten Britain First’s candidate Nick Scanlon.

He told reporters at City Hall: “It looks like I have defeated Britain First in an election.

“Come on, you have to cheer about that…down with fascism, up with Ceefax, what can I say?”

More West Midlands mayoral results:

Saturday 4 May 2024 18:31 , Athena Stavrou

Andy Street pulled in 37,345 votes in the Dudley borough, compared to 24,807 votes for Labour’s West Midlands mayor candidate Richard Parker.

With results in Coventry and Sandwell yet to be declared, Conservative candidate Mr Street has a lead over Mr Parker of around 20,900.

Labour won heavily in both Coventry and Sandwell in this week’s two-candidate Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Labour win Birmingham city in West Midlands mayoral vote

Saturday 4 May 2024 18:14 , Athena Stavrou

Labour’s West Midlands mayor candidate Richard Parker polled almost 14,000 votes more than Andy Street in the Birmingham City Council area.

Mr Parker received 80,251 votes in the city, followed by Mr Street (66,296) and a strong showing of 40,923 votes for independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob.

In Walsall, Mr Street polled 24,735 votes, Mr Parker 18,097 and Mr Yakoob 8,451.

Watch: Moment Britain First London mayoral candidate interrupts Sadiq Khan’s victory speech

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:53 , Athena Stavrou

This was the moment that Britain First’s mayoral candidate Nick Scanlon interrupted newly re-elected mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s victory speech after winning a historic third term.

‘Khan killed London’ the candidate shouted while walking around the stage behind the mayor, who won 43.8% of all votes cast, before being warned that security would remove people who disrupted the speeches.

Mr. Khan secured just over 1,088,000 votes to be re-elected London Mayor, followed by his conservative rival Susan Hall, who secured just under 813,000 votes.

Hebe Campbell reports:

Moment Britain First London mayoral candidate interrupts Sadiq Khan’s victory speech

Susan Hall says Sadiq Khan should stop ‘patronising’ people who care about London

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:50 , Athena Stavrou

Susan Hall has said Sadiq Khan should stop “patronising” people who care about London.

Speaking at City Hall after the election results came in, she said: “I’d like to congratulate all my fellow mayoral candidates and congratulate Sadiq on his victory.

“Spending a year campaigning for this election has been an honour and a privilege. I have loved speaking to Londoners about the things that matter to them.

“The thing that matters the most, and to me, is reforming the Met and making London safe again. I hope Sadiq makes this his top priority.

“He owes it to the families of those thousands of people who have lost lives to knife crime under his mayoralty.

“And I hope too that he stops patronising people, like me, who care. This isn’t an episode of The Wire, this is real life on his watch.”

Sadiq Khan ‘proud’ to have gained increased margin for third-term

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:48 , Athena Stavrou

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was proud after gaining an increased margin of victory in his record third-term.

Speaking at City Hall, Sadiq Khan said: “We faced a campaign of non-stop negativity, but I couldn’t be more proud that we answered the fearmongering with facts, hate with hope, and attempts to divide with efforts to unite.

“We ran a campaign that was in keeping with the spirit and values of this great city, a city that regards our diversity not as a weakness, but as an almighty strength – and one that rejects right hard-wing populism and looks forward, not back.

“It’s truly an honour to be re-elected for a third term, and do so with a record level of support from Londoners, with an increased margin of victory.”

Khan thanks family for support

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:44 , Athena Stavrou

Sadiq Khan thanked his family for their support, but apologised for them facing “protests by our home” and “threats” after securing a third term as Mayor of London.

Mr Khan said: “A special thank you goes to my mum, everything she’s done for me. I love you. And to my amazing wife, Saadiya, and our daughters Anisah and Ammarah, for their strength and support throughout all these years.

“I know there have been times when this job has taken a toll on you. But that’s not right, or fair.

“Some of the stuff on social media, the protests by our home, the threats. It’s upsetting, it’s frightening and it’s wrong. I’m truly sorry for putting you through this.

“But I also know, you share my belief as hard as it can be sometimes, this work is worth doing because it means being able to give to other families the same life-changing opportunities that this wonderful city has extended to ours. I love you all so much.”

Sadiq Khan’s re-election speech disrupted by Britain First candidate

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:38 , Athena Stavrou

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was interrupted by the Britain First London mayoral candidate as he took to the stage after his re-election was announced.

Speaking at City Hall on Saturday afternoon, Mr Khan said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you London.”

At that point, a Nick Scanlon walked across the stage and chanted “Khan killed London” while boos came from the crowd.

The crowd was warned that security would remove people who disrupt the speeches.

Recount ordered at Coventry for West Midlands mayoral election

Saturday 4 May 2024 17:15 , Athena Stavrou

A full recount of votes has been ordered at the Coventry count for the West Midlands mayoral election.

Electoral officials at the Birmingham count estimated that the Coventry recount would take around two hours to complete.

The race between Conservative candidate Andy Street - who has held office as Mayor since 2017 - and Labour’s Richard Parker is said to be close.

Count Binface says he will stand at the General Election

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Count Binface said this election has been his “most towering achievement”.

He told The Independent: “Over 20,000 votes from humans in a first past the post system. That is unheard of from an alien standing in a UK election.

“I have defeated Britain First and if you can’t be happy about that and it doesn’t shine a ray of hope for the majority of humans in this fair city and indeed Fair Nation, I don’t know what does.

Mr Binface added he refuses to believe Rishi Sunak will still be prime minister by the General Election.

“Yes, I’m going stand – of course I will,” he said.

“I’m very intrigued to have another holiday on earth when the general election comes, which can’t be soon enough.

“Whoever the prime minister is at that point, I’d be very excited to potentially pay their constituency a visit.”

Labour holds in Salford

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s Paul Dennett stays on as mayor of Salford with 30,753 votes.

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

London mayoral election after all 14 constituency results declared:

Live: Results declared in London mayoral elections

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour has declared victory in London as Sadiq Khan to is re-elected as the Mayor of London.

Mr Khan secured his third term in office with just over 1,088,000 votes, a majority of some 275,000 over Conservative rival Susan Hall, who secured just under 813,000 votes. This means that the Labour politician received 43.8 per cent of the voter share to Ms Halls 32.7 per cent.

Sir Keir had signalled he was confident of Mr Khan’s victory before declarations commenced, as he counted mayoral victories for his party in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester where Andy Burnham returned to power.

Labour declares victory in London mayor race as Sadiq Khan is re-elected

‘Bundle’ recount ordered in Birmingham for West Midlands mayor

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A partial “bundle” recount has been ordered in Birmingham for the election of the West Midlands mayor.

As piles of ballot papers were moved onto desks nearer the stage at the International Convention Centre, an official announcement said a bundle check would take place.

The announcer told party activists to ensure counting agents were available to supervise and observe the checks.

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan beat his nearest rival, Conservative candidate Susan Hall, in a contest dominated by criticisms of his decision to expand London’s ultra low emission zone.

Sir Keir had signalled he was confident of Mr Khan’s victory before declarations commenced, as he counted mayoral victories for his party in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester where Andy Burnham returned to power.

In a fresh challenge to the Prime Minister to call an election, Sir Keir said: “Fourteen years and, I am sorry, I don’t care which political party you support, if you leave your country in a worse state than when you found it 14 years later, you do not deserve to be in government for a moment longer.”

Mr Khan needed to win a simple majority of ballots cast, as the rules for the mayoral race were changed to a first-past-the-post voting system ahead of the latest election.

Sadiq Khan wins historic third term as London mayor

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has secured a third term as Mayor of London beating Conservative Susan Hall.

Mr Khan secured just over 1,088,000 votes to be re-elected London Mayor, a majority of some 275,000 over Conservative rival Susan Hall, who secured just under 813,000 votes.

Sadiq Khan wins Lambeth and Southwark

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The final count goes to Sadiq Khan as he wins Lambeth and Southwark by a mile, taking home 106,861 while Susan Hall gains only 26,347.

Susan Hall wins Havering and Redbridge

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:53 , Jabed Ahmed

Susan Hall – 82,859

Sadiq Khan – 50,780

Susan Hall wins Croydon and Sutton

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Results for Croydon and Sutton:

Susan Hall – 78,790

Sadiq Khan – 59,482

Sadiq Khan wins Barnet and Camden

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Results for Barnet and Camden:

Sadiq Khan – 70,981

Susan Hall – 57,465

Sadiq Khan wins City and East

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s Sadiq Khan wins City and East by a landslide victory. Votes stand as follows:

Sadiq Khan – 108,977

Susan Hall – 38,626

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Liberal Democrats have won more council seats overall than the Conservatives in the local elections, expert Sir John Curtice said.

The elections expert told the BBC: “The Liberal Democrats now have 520 councillors, and the Conservatives have 508. It is now clear to us with just the one council to go that the Liberal Democrats will end up having won more council seats than the Conservatives in these local elections.

“This is a simple headline way of underlining the way in which the results of those local elections have indeed been extremely disappointing for the Conservatives.”

However, Sir John pointed out that this “probably says more about the problems that the Conservative Party faces rather than the Liberal Democrats having done particularly well”.

In pictures: Andy Burnham takes home the win

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Susan Hall wins Ealing and Hillingdon

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In the closest result yet, Susan Hall wins Ealing and Hillingdon with 75,396 vote, while Sadiq Khan narrowly misses with 73,257 votes.

Labour’s Tracy Brabin re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s Tracy Brabin has been re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire with 275,430 votes.

Andy Burnham re-elected as Greater Manchester Mayor

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andy Burnham has been re-elected as Greater Manchester Mayor after winning 426,749 votes.

Susan Hall wins Brent and Harrow

Saturday 4 May 2024 15:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Results for Brent and Harrow:

Susan Hall – 66,151

Sadiq Khan – 58,743

159,033 voters, 37% turnout

Andy Street ahead in first West Midlands result

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Traditional Tory stronghold Solihull was the first of seven council areas to declare its results for the West Midlands Mayor election, with Andy Street polling well ahead of Labour’s Richard Parker.

Mr Parker received 11,728 votes, well behind Mr Street on 35,289.

Green Party candidate Siobhan Harper-Nunes received the third highest vote in the borough (3,582).

Solihull has the smallest number of registered voters of the seven boroughs in the region, with 162,529 of an electorate of more than two million.

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s incumbent police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, is on course to retain the post after polling 125,631 votes in the Birmingham City Council area, compared to 77,798 for Conservative candidate Tom Byrne.

Mr Foster won a large majority in Coventry, winning 43,014 votes.

The results give Mr Foster a commanding lead with only the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall yet to declare PCC results in the region.

London mayor candidates to arrive at City Hall at 4.30pm

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

London mayoral election candidates have been told to arrive at City Hall for 4.30pm, officials say. A possible declaration could come soon after that.

Labour wins Enfield and Haringey

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:20 , Holly Evans

In the sixth constituency to be announced, Sadiq Khan has swept to an astounding victory in Enfield and Haringey with over twice the vote share of his Tory rival.

Mr Khan received 82,725 votes, compared to Ms Hall’s 41,389.

Sadiq Khan wins West Central

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:11 , Jabed Ahmed

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has won 54,481 votes in West Central.

This constituency includes Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster.

The Conservative’s Susan Hall received 43,405.

Overall, 125,645 people voted, meaning a 35% turnout

Sadiq Khan wins South West constituency

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:08 , Holly Evans

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has won in the South West constituency with 77,011 votes.

Conservative’s Susan Hall received 68,856 votes.

Overall, 206,109 people voted in the South West constituency, a 45% turnout.

Rishi Sunak did not vote for Tory’s London mayor candidate

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:05 , David Maddox

Downing Street admits that Rishi Sunak did not vote for Susan Hall in London.

A source said the Prime Minister used a postal vote for the contest in York and North Yorkshire where Labour’s David Skaith won the newly created mayoralty against the Tories’ Keane Duncan.

Sadiq Khan wins North East constituency

Saturday 4 May 2024 14:02 , Jabed Ahmed

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has won in the North East constituency with 127,455 votes.

Conservative’s Susan Hall received 34,099 votes.

Green Party came third with 17,907 votes.

207,722 people voted, a 40% turnout.

Labour sources claim historic victory for Sadiq Khan

Saturday 4 May 2024 13:59 , Holly Evans

Labour has won the London mayoral election, and Sadiq Khan will serve a third term in post, party sources have said.

Despite concerns that the race would be tighter than initially expected between him and Tory candidate Susan Hall, a string of early results have shown a swing towards Labour.

Labour team ‘confident’ as positive results roll in for Sadiq Khan

Saturday 4 May 2024 13:53 , Holly Evans

Labour source tells The Independent: “Labour team confident and looks like it’s possible that Sadiq has done better than anyone could have expected.

“From the results that are in, it looks like there have been swings towards Sadiq and Labour right across London.

“If Sadiq beats the Tories by more than 4.7 percent he will have not only won a third historic and unprecedented term, but increased his lead from his second term.”

Turnout low in the West Midlands as count continues

Saturday 4 May 2024 13:36 , Holly Evans

Incumbent Tory mayor Andy Street is fighting for a third term in the West Midlands, yet fears are emerging that the race between him and Labour’s Richard Parker is too close to call.

Turnout is just under 30 per cent, with Sky News reporting that 29.8 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, down by 1.4 per cent on 2021.

Liverpool mayor accuses Sunak of ‘squatting in Downing Street’

Saturday 4 May 2024 13:20 , Holly Evans

Steve Rotheram has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of “squatting in Downing Street”.

The re-elected Liverpool City Region Mayor said: “The Prime Minister is squatting in Downing Street and I say, come out and face the voters, Mr Sunak, call a general election, we’re ready when you are, but whilst we’re waiting our work will continue unabated.”

He added: “This result isn’t just a rejection of the Tories, voters in our city region aren’t easily kidded, it’s a ringing endorsement of what we’re doing locally too, and they weren’t hoodwinked by pie-in-the sky populist pledges.

“It’s no less dishonest, you know, to promise to deliver undeliverable things locally than it is to advertise to £350 million a week for our NHS on the side bus if we left the EU.

“It appears that for some, mud slinging and smear tactics are still the weapon of choice in the armoury of the deceitful and desperate.”

A breakdown of South Yorkshire results

Saturday 4 May 2024 13:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard had just over 50% of the vote as he retained his job, with Conservative Nick Allen on 16.49%, Douglas Johnson (Green) 13.63%, Hannah Kitching (Lib Dem) 11.38% and David Bettney (Social Democratic Party) 7.64%, with a turnout of 27.27%.

Liverpool and South Yorkshire results

Saturday 4 May 2024 12:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour’s Steve Rotheram has won the Liverpool Mayoral election with 183,932 votes.

He beat his nearest rival by more than 156,000 votes.

The Conservative candidate received 27,708 votes.

Labour’s Oliver Coppard has retained his job as South Yorkshire Mayor with 138,611 votes, with Conservative Nick Allen second with 44,945.

Wandsworth and Merton mayor results

Saturday 4 May 2024 12:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Wandsworth and Merton has seen a 5.1% swing to Labour from Tories as mayoral election results flood in.

Sadiq Khan wins Greenwich and Lewisham constituency

Saturday 4 May 2024 12:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Labour’s Sadiq Khan has won in the Greenwich and Lewisham constituency with 83,792 votes.

Conservative’s Susan Hall received 36,822 votes.

161,183 people voted – a 40 per cent turnout.

Sadiq Khan faces anxious wait amid claims Susan Hall ‘has won’ London Mayor contest

Saturday 4 May 2024 12:16 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sadiq Khan faces an anxious wait to find out if he will be re-elected as London mayor amid fears about low turnout and anger over his flagship motoring policy and Labour’s stance on Gaza.

A Tory Westminster insider close to Susan Hall’s campaign has told The Independent that the contest is “extremely close” and Mr Khan’s rival “may have won” in what would be a stunning election shock.

The briefing is based on an analysis of the turnouts in the boroughs across London which suggest that strong ones for the Tories have seen voters come out in greater numbers.

Read more here:

Sadiq Khan faces anxious wait amid claims Susan Hall ‘has won’ London Mayor contest

Police are being ‘weaponised’ by politicians in local elections, former top prosecutor warns

Saturday 4 May 2024 11:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A former top prosecutor has hit out after the Conservatives twice reported Labour candidates to police just days before the local elections.

The double whammy came as Rishi Sunak’s party faced predictions it would lose up to 500 councillors across England and struggle in two crunch mayoral votes.

Nazir Afzal, a former Chief Crown Prosecutor, warned police forces were “being weaponised as part of the campaign by those who don’t care about the problems facing policing particularly resourcing”.

Police are being ‘weaponised’ in local elections, former top prosecutor warns

Starmer confident Sadiq Khan will take home London mayor victory

Saturday 4 May 2024 11:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer said he remains confident Sadiq Khan can win a third term as the Labour mayor of London.

Speaking to reporters in Mansfield, the Labour leader said: “Sadiq Khan was absolutely the right candidate. He has got two terms of delivery behind him and I am confident that he has got another term of delivery in front of him.

“But look, if you look across the country, I am standing here in Mansfield in the East Midlands where we have won a significant victory in the mayoralty here, but that is the pattern across the country.

“We have been winning in Blackpool in a by-election with a 26% swing, we have won in York and North Yorkshire, true blue Tory territory, and here in the East Midlands where there are very many constituencies that matter hugely in that general election.

“All of this is done with a purpose. I want a Labour Government to serve our country.

“This is effectively the last stop on the journey to the general election and I am really pleased to be able to show we are making progress, we have earned the trust and confidence of voters and we are making progress towards that general election.”

Boris Johnson tried to use Prospect magazine as voter ID at polling station

Saturday 4 May 2024 11:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson has said he tried to use a magazine about politics as voter ID when he turned up to the polls this week.

Mr Johnson had been trying to cast his vote in the local elections in South Oxfordshire on Thursday but fell foul of legislation he introduced himself as prime minister.

Staff initially turned the former Conservative Party leader away because he could not produce proper voter ID.

Boris Johnson tried to use Prospect magazine as voter ID at polling station

Labour will ‘turn the page on decline’- Starmer

Saturday 4 May 2024 11:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer said his party with “turn the page on decline” as he set out his stall for the general election.

The Labour leader said: “It now is upon us to deliver that change to each of those people that put their faith in us in the vote here in the East Midlands and we will do so with a positive case for the country.”

He listed Labour’s plans to “pick up the NHS”, make sure the streets are safe, build affordable homes, and provide secure jobs.

Sir Keir said: “That falls to us, because today is the day that we celebrate the beginning of the turning of the page, one of the last milestones now as we go into that general election.”

He added: “Let’s turn the page on decline and usher in national renewal with Labour.”

In pictures: Starmer with newly elected East Midlands mayor Claire Ward

Saturday 4 May 2024 11:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website