Tories take symbolic Westminster council back from Labour
The Tories have won back Westminster City Council, taking 32 seats to Labour's 22.
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The city council had been under Tory control from its creation in 1965 until 2022 when Labour won it.
The Tories have now wrested control back from Labour, led by Cllr Adam Hug, while the Greens, Reform UK and the Lib Dems failed to take any seats.
The council, covering Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, was symbolic for the Tories and the very centre of London had been under the party's control since London's current local government structure was created more than 60 years ago.
Under Labour the council faced major criticism. Earlier this year an LBC investigation found that the council had wasted over £27million after overriding concerns about a building firm that went bust during a major housing project.
According to data from the Metropolitan Police, Westminster has the highest rates of theft, violence, sexual and drug offences of any London borough.
The Labour-run council has faced significant scrutiny of its spending decisions in recent years.
In 2023, Westminster's six cabinet members received criticism for receiving a 45% increase to their yearly allowances, which was justified on the grounds that it brought their expenses into line with other councils.
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Taking the council back from Labour showed the Tories are “coming back in London”, a party spokesperson said.
A Conservative spokesman said: “We are delighted the Conservatives have taken control of Westminster Council. Labour are set to have a terrible night in London, an area they swept in the last general election.
“Under Kemi Badenoch, the Conservatives are coming back in London. This victory is a clear sign of the progress the Conservatives are making under new leadership.
“This is also testament to the hard work of Conservative councillors and activists in Westminster. We are confident they will show that only the Conservatives are serious about delivering better services for lower taxes.”
Sir Keir Starmer finds himself under pressure following disastrous local election results as Nigel Farage claimed Reform UK is on course to win the next general election.
Early results saw Labour haemorrhage hundreds of councillors and eight local authorities across England while Reform, the Greens and Liberal Democrats all made gains.
The Prime Minister faces further heavy losses as vote counting continues throughout Friday in both English local elections and contests for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.
Sir Keir has already faced speculation about his leadership, with the Times reporting Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had urged the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure.
But Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy urged his party not to play “pass the parcel” with the leadership in response to the election results.
Labour sources pointed to poor local election results under previous prime ministers, including Sir Tony Blair who lost 1,100 councillors in 1999 but went on to win re-election in a landslide in 2001
Meanwhile, Mr Farage hailed early results from Thursday’s local election as a sign his party was on course for victory at a general election that is still up to three years away.
A jubilant Mr Farage heralded a “historic change in British politics,” telling reporters “there is no more left-right” as his outfit was “scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas”.