The Conservatives who have ruled the country for 13 years suffered heavy losses in the traditional strongholds of the British right, and preliminary results revealed today (Friday) that the Labor Party advanced in the British municipal council elections in front of the ruling Conservative Party led by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
After counting the votes for about 62 of the 230 local councils that were contested, the Conservatives lost 225 seats and the Labor Party won 120 seats. The Liberal Democrats won 59 seats and the Green Party’s environmentalists won 32.
Shabana Mahmood, coordinator of the Labor Party’s national campaign, said that these results constitute a disaster for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is being punished by voters for the failures of the conservatives. The Labor Party expects to advance by 8% over the Conservatives, a difference that it believes will be translated into a victory if it is repeated in the legislative elections, in which opinion polls indicate a very clear progress for the workers in it.
For his part, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considered that it was still early, but it was disappointing that conservative members lost their seats, repeating his promises at the national level on the economy, health and combating illegal immigration.
Sunak has tried to restore the conservatives’ credibility since taking over as prime minister in October after months of economic chaos, strikes and political scandals.
The Conservatives changed the prime minister 3 times in the past year, as they toppled Boris Johnson for reasons including parties held in government buildings during the closure to confront the Corona pandemic, then his successor Liz Terrace came after a tax cuts plan that destroyed Britain’s reputation in terms of financial stability.
This election witnessed the application of an unprecedented requirement for voters to present an identity document in order to be able to vote. This change caused an uproar and its opponents considered it a maneuver to exclude some voters, especially from the youth and working classes.
