 |
| The results of the local elections in England do not bode well for the two main parties (AFP Photo/Paul ELLIS) |
London (AFP) - Britain's two main parties suffered a drubbing Friday in English local elections, with Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives bearing the brunt of voter frustration over the prolonged Brexit deadlock.
May's
Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and well over a
thousand seats, performing far worse than even the gloomiest predictions.
But the
main opposition Labour Party also lost ground, with voters instead turning to
smaller parties and independents in Thursday's polls.
"There
was a simple message from yesterday's elections to both us and the Labour
Party: just get on and deliver Brexit," May said.
Britain's
bitterly-divided MPs have been unable to agree on a divorce deal with the EU,
with the two main parties in talks on breaking the impasse that have produced
little fruit so far.
"This
is a difficult time for our party and these election results are a symptom of
that," May told the Welsh Conservative Conference, having faced down a
heckler calling for her to quit.
The results raise the pressure on May and Labour counterpart Jeremy Corbyn to strike a deal and avoid having to hold European Parliament elections on May 23, where they face being wiped out by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which did not compete in Thursday's vote.
 |
Prime
Minister Theresa May's Conservatives lost control of several local
authorities
(AFP Photo/Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS)
|
The results raise the pressure on May and Labour counterpart Jeremy Corbyn to strike a deal and avoid having to hold European Parliament elections on May 23, where they face being wiped out by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which did not compete in Thursday's vote.
Corbyn said
that he was "very sorry" for the party's losses, adding there was now
"a huge impetus" for the talks to succeed.
May later
said that her government and Labour were locked in "constructive
talks".
After
voting in June 2016 to leave the European Union, Britain was meant to depart on
March 29 this year. However, its exit date has been postponed until October 31
due to the wrangling.
'Plague
on both houses'
With a
handful of results still to be declared, the Tories had lost over 1,200 seats,
while Labour had lost 81.
Labour was
expected to pick up seats as voters typically give the sitting government a
kicking in such elections.
It will also be concerned about losing seats in its traditional heartlands, which voted heavily to leave the EU and which it would need to win in order to beat the Tories in a general election.
 |
The main
winners in local British elections were both pro-EU parties, the centrist
Liberal Democrats and the left-wing Greens (AFP Photo/Paul ELLIS)
|
It will also be concerned about losing seats in its traditional heartlands, which voted heavily to leave the EU and which it would need to win in order to beat the Tories in a general election.
The party's
Brexit position is described by some commentators as constructive ambiguity.
It is also
losing support over the issue of anti-Semitism, which flared again this week
when it emerged leader Corbyn had written the foreword to a book containing
what the party called "offensive references".
If results
were replicated nationwide, pollster John Curtice calculated that both the
Conservatives and Labour would each get only 28 percent of the total vote,
saying the days of two-party domination "may be over".
The
centrist Liberal Democrats and left-wing Greens -- both anti-Brexit -- were the
big winners, along with independent candidates.
Voters went
to the polls in mainly rural and suburban areas of England, with more than
8,000 seats up for grabs.
All 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland were also contested among the province's own parties.
 |
Britain's
MPs have been unable to agree on a divorce deal struck with
the EU (AFP
Photo/ISABEL INFANTES)
|
All 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland were also contested among the province's own parties.
"The
key message from the voters to the Conservatives and Labour is 'a plague on
both of your houses'," Curtice told the BBC.
They lost
votes most heavily in the wards where they were strongest, he noted.
'No
confidence'
The council
elections decide who sets local tax rates and runs community services but are
often swayed by the national picture.
The Greens
appear to have been boosted by the recent climate protests in London, which
brought environmental issues to the front-pages.
Liberal
Democrat leader Vince Cable said voters "no longer have confidence in the
Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party
prevaricates on the big issue of the day."
The
problems for the two main parties could worsen at the European elections when
they will also face two newly-formed forces: the Brexit Party -- which leads in
the opinion polls -- and pro-EU centrists Change UK.
Conservative
MP Bernard Jenkin told BBC radio that if the centre-right party "doesn't
mend its ways pretty quickly, the Conservative Party is going to be
toast".
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.