Tories gain control of Northumberland, Harlow, Redditch and Nuneaton & Bedworth councils in big wins
Labour suffered a series of defeats across the country in the local elections, including in its heartlands
Conservatives gain councillors won in usually left-wing stalwart wards including in Sunderland and Tyneside
The Tories, Lib Dems and Greens all made significant gains in several seats as Labour went backwards
Liverpool has elected its first black female mayor as Labour held on to the role despite corruption allegations
Results painted a brutal picture for Sir Keir Starmer s party on Super Thursday, as he also loses Hartlepoo
Hartlepool by-election result LIVE: Conservatives win seat from Labour by huge margin
The results for the Hartlepool by-election are expected in the early hours of the morning
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The votes are being counted after Teessiders went to the polls in the biggest set of elections outside the General Election. The people of Hartlepool have chosen their new MP, after Labour s Mike Hill stepped down amid an ongoing investigation.
The by-election has attracted national attention, with Labour leader Keir Starmer under pressure as Boris Johnson s Conservative government has been tipped to win the seat for the first time since it was created.
Tories gain control of Northumberland, Harlow, Dudley and Nuneaton & Bedworth councils in big wins
Labour suffered a series of defeats across the country in the local elections, including in its heartlands
The Tories, Lib Dems and Greens all made significant gains in several seats as Labour went backwards
Results painted a brutal picture for Sir Keir Starmer s party on Super Thursday, as he also loses Hartlepool
However, Labour struggled to combat a deep disillusionment with the party in Hartlepool, a constituency it has held since 1964, and a historic shift in allegiances towards a Conservative party once considered toxic in north-east England.
The mood in the Labour camp overnight was dismal. Starmer was understood to have been told of the outlook at about midnight, shortly after his team arrived at its Hartlepool headquarters. One member of the team said it became clear at around midnight – while the votes were still being validated – that the Tories had racked up a “healthy majority”.
One Labour source said they expected the Conservatives to win by as many as 5,000 to 6,000 votes. Turnout for the contest was 42.55%, the lowest in years, although byelections generally record fewer voters.
‘Hartlepool has always been a working class town – but it is not a working class Labour Party’
As the constituency goes Conservative for the first time, voters speak of growing alienation from Sir Keir Starmer s party
7 May 2021 • 3:00pm
Wearing a bright blue jacket to match Hartlepool s new political dawn, 29-year-old Jo Herrell casts her fishing line into the town s marina and contemplates the turning of the tide.
Herrell, a prison officer who is Hartlepool born and bred, was one of 15,529 of the town s citizens to vote the Conservative Party into power on Friday morning for the first time since the constituency was created in 1974.