Labour has taken a major scalp by winning the flagship Tory council of Wandsworth as the party was closing in big victories in London.
The south London borough renowned for its low taxes is a totemic authority for the Conservatives. It turned blue in 1978 a year before Margaret Thatcher, who considered the council her favourite, was elected prime minister.
There were signs the Conservatives could lose Barnet and Westminster too in what would amount to a grim night for Boris Johnson’s party in the city he used to run.
Labour has also won the new Cumberland Council, where all three local MPs are Tory, which prompted a local Conservative leader to call for the PM to go.
The Tories also lost Worcester to no overall control, with gains for the Greens and Labour.
But there were signs Labour was struggling to make significant gains elsewhere outside the M25.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems took Kingston upon Hull from Labour and were also edging towards winning West Oxfordshire from the Tories.
The elections are set against the backdrop of the partygate scandal and a cost-of-living crisis that could turn into a recession.
Council seats are up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while Northern Ireland is electing its new assembly in what could be the most significant vote of them all, with Sinn Fein seeking to become the largest party.
Many of the English seats were last contested in 2018, during Theresa May’s chaotic administration, meaning there may only be limited opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains.
