Tories cling onto Harlow council despite 'seismic' Labour wins elsewhere as local MP hails 'Lazarus' comeback

3 May 2024, 07:56 | Updated: 3 May 2024, 09:51

The Conservatives have held onto Harlow council by one seat, despite a wave of Labour wins elsewhere.

The Tories retained control of the suburban Essex council despite losing four seats, winning 17 seats to Labour's 16, with a turnout of just over 28%.

Overall it has been a poor night for the Conservatives, losing the Blackpool South by-election to Labour and a string of other local councils - with a former minister telling LBC the results had been "pretty horrendous".

Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow and a government minister, hailed the local council result as "the greatest comeback since Lazarus".

He claimed that Labour "threw the kitchen sink" at the election.

Read more: Labour sweeps to victory in Blackpool South as Rishi Sunak sees by-election misery

Read more: Local Elections Live 2024: Blow for Rishi Sunak as Labour win Blackpool South by-election

LBC reporters break down the local election story so far

"We had a shadow cabinet member come down every few days," he said."Keir Starmer came down twice in fact on the eve of poll."

Mr Halfon claimed that "Labour [were] walking around saying they were going to massacre the Conservatives in Harlow that it would be a landslide that we'd be left with just a few counsellors

"They were measuring up the curtains in town hall they looked like the cat that had got the got the cream."

But overall it has been a "tough" night for the Conservatives, Conservative former minister Paul Scully admitted.

"I don't think there's any managing expectations on this one, it was just pretty horrendous," he told LBC.

Tory MP's damning assessment of his party's local election performance

"It's the last chance people are going to have to register their concerns ahead of a general election, and they've made their voice known.

"And I think what we now need to do is really suck that up, take it on the chin, be humble with our response, admit the fact that we need to create a vision for the next few months ahead of a general election, and then see where we go from there."

Among a series of council wins, Labour took Rushmoor - known as "the home of the British Army" - despite it being run by the Tories for the past 24 years.

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: "This is a truly historic result. Rushmoor - the home of the British Army - has never had a majority Labour council before and has been run by the Tories for the last 24 years.

"This result demonstrates just how much the Labour Party has changed and people in Rushmoor know that only Labour can deliver the change they want to see.

"A Labour gain for Rushmoor is a result Rishi Sunak cannot ignore. It's time for a general election."

After the Blackpool win, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was "the most important result today".

"This is the one contest where voters had the chance to send a message to Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives directly, and that message is an overwhelming vote for change," he said.

"The swing towards the Labour Party in Blackpool South is truly historic and shows that we are firmly back in the service of working people.

"I am so proud of the positive campaign we ran. To those who have put their trust in us in Blackpool, and those considering giving Labour their vote, we are ready to serve your interests.

"Our new Labour MP Chris Webb has shown that after years of neglect with the Tories, there is a better alternative. The message to Rishi Sunak is clear. It’s time for change, it’s time for a general election."

Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice said: "The only thing that's stopped this result from being basically an unmitigated disaster for the Conservatives was the fact they just narrowly squeaked ahead of Reform."

He added: "Basically the project that Rishi Sunak is meant to be there to achieve, which is to narrow the gap on Labour, that project still has yet to provide any visible benefit."