- Ongoing local election results in England have so far seen victories for Labour, the Lib Dems, independent candidates, and the Green Party at the expense of the UK's governing Conservative Party. Election
- Alongside gains within the 107 councils up for election, Thursday's polling has also seen the Labour Party claim victory in the Blackpool South by-election following a 26% vote swing. BBC News (a)
- Labour's Chris Webb secured a 7.6K vote majority, followed by Conservative candidate David Jones' approximately 3.2K votes, and Reform UK candidate Mark Butcher's 3.1K votes. Evening Standard
- Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the by-election as a "seismic" win, claiming that the result was an "overwhelming vote for change." Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- While the Conservative Party has seen the reelection of Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, the now-three term politician saw his popular vote decrease from 73% in 2021 to under 54% this year. BBC News (b)
- The Labour Party has confirmed mayoral victories in York and North Yorkshire, North East, and East Midlands. Seven further mayoral results, including for London, are expected to be announced over the weekend. BBC News (a)
Right narrative:
- Results show that, despite the Conservative Party's ineptitude, there is still hope for the survival of right-wing politics in the shape of Reform UK. While the Tories have collapsed, Reform's rise as the country's third largest party highlights an opportunity for the right to regroup and provide the UK with the change it thoroughly needs.
THE TELEGRAPH
Left narrative:
- Local elections have once again confirmed Labour's dominant popular support. The rewards of Starmer's decision to shift his party closer to the political center are now on full display — a choice that seems destined to only further attract moderate voters as the Tories enter a right-wing civil war with Reform UK.
THE MIRROR
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 93% chance that Sir Keir Starmer will form and lead the first government after the next UK general election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)