Polls open in local elections in England with Conservatives prepared for big losses | Local elections

Voting has begun in local elections in England, where the Conservatives are bracing for big losses that could destabilize Rishi Sunak’s premiership.

The election, which covers more than 2,600 seats on 107 English councils, is seen as a key test of whether the Conservative Party is as unpopular with voters as polls suggest.

Keir Starmer said in a statement on Wednesday night that people had “the opportunity to vote for that change and deliver a verdict on 14 years of decay”.

“A vote for Labor is for a plan to tilt our economy towards the interests of working people and restore a sense of service to our politics,” the party leader said. “That change starts today and you can vote for it. “You can vote to stop the chaos, turn the page and rebuild your country.”

Ten metropolitan mayorships, including London, are being contested, as are 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. There are no elections in Scotland or Northern Ireland, nor local council elections in Wales.

There is also a parliamentary by-election in Blackpool South, whose former Conservative MP Scott Benton resigned after being found guilty of breaching rules in a lobbying scandal. Labor said it was hopeful of regaining the seat, which Benton won with a majority of 3,690 in 2019.

This set of local council seats was last contested in May 2021, when the Conservatives under Boris Johnson were at a fever pitch following the rollout of the Covid vaccine in the UK, and the party enjoyed its strongest performance since 2008.

Speaking to Sky News in Harlow on Wednesday afternoon, Starmer said he had considered resigning as Labor leader after the “low point” of the 2021 local elections, but now felt vindicated.

Sephologists have predicted that the Conservatives could lose 500 council seats, about half of those the party is defending this time.

Sunak told the Prime Minister’s questions that “people everywhere should vote Conservative.”

“Tomorrow voters will have a choice and it will be between mayors like Andy Street and Ben Houchen, who are delivering, or mayors like Sadiq Khan, who are simply virtue signaling,” he told MPs.

Among the most closely watched contests will be the West Midlands and Tees Valley, where Labor hopes to unseat Street and Houchen.

Surveys suggest The West Midlands contest is very close. YouGov places Labor candidate Richard Parker two points behind Street. Houchen is seven points ahead of his Labor rival Chris McEwan in the Tees Valley, also according to YouGov.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan is seeking a third term and YouGov polls suggest he leads Conservative candidate Susan Hall by 22 points.

There are concerns in Downing Street that Sunak could face a leadership challenge if the Conservatives lose the West Midlands and Tees Valley mayorships.

Economy Secretary Kemi Badenoch, considered a future leadership candidate, insisted Wednesday that there is no such prospect. She told Sky News: “I think there is a lot of noise from people who want attention, but the Prime Minister has the full backing of the cabinet, he has my full backing.”

If the Conservatives do better than expected with Houchen and Street holding on, there is speculation that Sunak could take the opportunity to call a snap election this summer.

Labor suggested the mayoral election system favors incumbents as it sought to manage expectations about victory in the two contests.

“If Andy Street and Ben Houchen hold out, as seems very likely, it will be because they have managed to distance themselves sufficiently from the prime minister, not because he has given them any electoral coattails,” a party spokesman said. saying.

The Liberal Democrats, who have focused their campaign efforts in traditionally conservative areas, have said Thursday is a chance for voters to send a message to “this out-of-touch Conservative government.”

“In former Conservative hubs such as Tunbridge Wells, Dorset and Wokingham, voters are leaning towards the Liberal Democrats,” said party leader Ed Davey. “Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to elect a strong local advocate who will fight for fair treatment for you and your community.”