UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party has suffered major losses in early results of England local elections.
The elections were conducted for more than 8,000 council seats on 230 councils and four mayors across England closed on Thursday, according to BBC.
Results so far show that Sunak's Conservatives have taken a beating and rival Labour Party and Liberal Democrats have made gains.
The Labour Party is confident that it will have its best local elections since 1997, according to i newspaper. A forecast suggested that the Conservatives could lose up to 1,000 seats, which was the worst-case scenario considered by the party.
Conservative Party loses, Labour makes gain
The Conservative Party has also lost seats in areas that voted to leave the European Union (EU). As these areas are a must-win for the party in next year's general elections, the losses are seen as concerning to the party.
"Labour’s greatest gains are in areas that voted 'Leave' in 2016..Early Lib Dem gains in heavily leave-voting areas of Essex hint at trouble for the Conservatives in the south," noted Guardian.
Overall, the Conservative Party has lost 148 seats and Labour has gained 124, according to latest results published by Guardian. The Liberal Democrats have also gained 43.
Of the four main electorates, the Labour gained one and Conservatives lost two. The Conservatives lost Brentwood and Tamworth. These two now have no overall majority of any party. The Labour won Stoke-on-Trent from no overall majority status as it increased its to secure majority. These are major gains for Labour and major losses to Conservatives.
"Brentwood and Tamworth have both been Tory heartlands in recent years, both electing Tory MPs on hefty majorities in 2019. To lose control of both councils, and through losses to a different party in each case, is a blow. Worcester is a bellwether Westminster seat; here, the Tories were previously the largest party and are now third, behind the Greens. For Labour, a resounding win in Stoke —Brexit capital of Britain— is a totemic victory," said Guardian.
