The media will focus today on the Lib Dems' meltdown and SNP victory in Scotland. But Labour is also taking seats of the Tories in key marginals.
For obvious reasons the media will focus today on the Liberal Democrats’ meltdown and the SNP victory in Scotland. But of greater long-term interest is what the local election results tell us about the next general election, which will be a fight between Labour and the Conservatives.
The results are still trickling in, but with just 109 of 279 councils declared there are already some bright spots:
– A number of Labour MP’s have mentioned Gravesham where the party has taken eight seats off the Tories to take control for the first time since 2003. The Tories had a majority of 9,312 at the last general election.
– Labour has gained North Warwickshire taking three seats off the Tories. Mike O’Brien lost the Parliamentry seat by 54 votes last May.
– In Lincoln, Labour has taken overall control. Gillian Merron lost the seat by a shade over 1,000 votes last year.
– Labour gained Telford and Wrekin taking 10 seats off the Tories and 6 off the Lib Dems. Telford is a marginal constituency which Labour held by just 981 votes in 2010.
– In Thanet in Kent, Labour won six seats removing the Tories’ control for the first time since 1999. Laura Sandys defeated Labour’s Stephen Ladyman in South Thanet at the last election.
– And in Lancashire, Labour has picked up four seats to win Hyndburn. Labour’s majority fell to just 3,000 in the last election.
With regard to the expectations game, although not a view held by all Labour commentators, Luke Akehurst, who sits on Labour’s National Executive Committee, has concluded that “anything above 400 gains is impressive by recent historical standards”.
By 10.30am, Labour had picked up 339 new councillors and, according to Labour List editor Mark Ferguson, was on course to win 500 to 600. Not a bad night’s work in England.
We’ll keep this post updated during the day.
UPDATE 15.15:
– In Ipswich, Labour has picked up five seats (including two from the Tories) to take overall control of the council. Last May, Ben Gummer beat Labour’s Chris Mole to give the Conservatives the parliamentary seat for the first time since 1992.
UPDATE 18.17:
– There has been an astonishing result in Gedling where Labour has won 23 seats (including 13 from the Tories) to take the council from the Tories. Vernon Coaker held on last time around but with a majority of just 1,859.
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40 Responses to “Vote 2011: Early signs that Labour is winning in key marginals”
Selohesra
I’d have thought if Labour were honest then from their astionishingly low base that anything shy of 1000 councillors gained would be a disapointment. Although perhaps the key word there is honest
dr nicola headlam
RT @leftfootfwd: Early signs that Labour is winning in key marginals http://bit.ly/iYSoc7
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The media will focus today on the Lib Dems' meltdown and SNP victory in Scotland. But Labo… http://reduce.li/sjo0ms #early
Ed's Talking Balls
You say ‘not a bad night’s work in England’.
Well, perhaps. But it certainly wasn’t a good one either. The Conservative vote, by and large, held, while Labour didn’t capitalise on the unpopularity of spending cuts at central level.
And as for Scotland, Miliband must be gutted. Didn’t he say that that’s where the fightback was going to start?
Anon E Mouse
Will Straw – Labour have been hammered in Scotland and with that and the fact they will be obliterated in the South East where UK elections are won and lost last night was a very very bad night for the party.
The sooner Labour activists get real the sooner they may become electable again.
Your remarks surprise me Will Straw. Anyone is entitled to adhere to different political opinions and allegiances but you are departing from the truth here and spinning these results into anything but a nightmare for an opposition is just stupid.
As party leader William Hague got a higher proportion of the vote against Labour than Ed Miliband got last night.
The sooner Labour realise that negative narratives against their opponents (Tory Toffs – whatever) simply do not work then they are doomed. The fact is for the last 18 months I have been on this site asking why people cannot be positive towards Labour but using comments by Luke Akehurst (nothing against him but to call him tribal is an understatement) to substantiate your arguments will appeal only to Labour voters. Who will vote Labour anyway.
Labour has got to have a reboot and start being positive Will Straw if you want to appeal to floating voters.
On this site alone will you please stop moderators posting articles running down popular individuals like Jeremy Clarkson or popular papers like The Sun. People do not like it and it makes Labour supporters look weird frankly.
All that does is alienate potential voters and make Labour a small tent that no one will enter. Blair knew it. Even Brown knew it but whoever is running Labour is showing incompetence on a monumental scale and the fact that even in the face of these cuts Labour only poll 2% more than the Tories is a disaster.
If last night can’t convince Labour they need massive and immediate change then nothing can…