<p>In Britain, embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing more pressure on Friday (May 3) as his party lost another parliamentary seat to the main opposition Labour, which is making gains in the just-concluded elections that had several local body positions up for grabs.</p>

<p>Labour has seized the parliamentary constituency of Blackpool South from the Tories, in the latest by-election defeat for the British ruling party.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Labour candidate Chris Webb registered a massive victory and bagged the parliamentary seat with 10,825 votes. The Conservative candidate David Jones came in second place with less than 50 per cent of Webb's votes at 3,218.</p>

<p>As per AFP, the loss of the constituency in the northwest of England appears to be just one defeat for Tories, who appear to be on course to lose the upcoming general elections too. &nbsp;</p>

<p>In another major setback,&nbsp;Labour’s David Skaith emerged victorious in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, securing victory in the prime minister’s own backyard.&nbsp;Skaith gathered almost a third of total votes. This is seen as a major jolt to PM Sunak as the seat is considered a Conservative stronghold.</p>

<h2><strong>A scandal and a vote</strong></h2>

<p>As per the report, the vote in Blackpool South was triggered by a lobbying scandal that saw the 2019-elected Conservative MP Scott Benton resign.</p>

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<p>On Thursday, over 2,000 seats were up for grabs in local elections that also saw some high-profile mayoral contests&nbsp;including UK capital London, besides the parliamentary seat of Blackpool South.</p>

<p>According to Reuters, the "thumping victory" in Blackpool South "set the tone" for what it says are set to be a closely watched two days of results ahead of a full national election later this year.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>'Seismic win'</strong></h2>

<p>Polls show that this year's elections could be the end of 14 years of Conservative government, as Labour Leader Keir Starmer appears to be the popular choice.</p>

<p>Applauding the victory, Starmer in a statement said, "This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today."</p>

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<p>"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," Starmer said.</p>

<p>Most opinion polls show Sunak's Tories&nbsp;lagging 20 points behind Labour.</p>

<p>Sunak is expected to call for a National Election in the second half of this year.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em>&nbsp;</p>


In Britain, embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing more pressure on Friday (May 3) as his party lost another parliamentary seat to the main opposition Labour, which is making gains in the just-concluded elections that had several local body positions up for grabs.

In Britain, embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing more pressure on Friday (May 3) as his party lost another parliamentary seat to the main opposition Labour, which is making gains in the just-concluded elections that had several local body positions up for grabs. Labour has seized the parliamentary constituency of Blackpool South from the Tories, in the latest by-election defeat for the British ruling party. Labour candidate Chris Webb registered a massive victory and bagged the parliamentary seat with 10,825 votes. The Conservative candidate David Jones came in second place with less than 50 per cent of Webb's votes at 3,218. As per AFP, the loss of the constituency in the northwest of England appears to be just one defeat for Tories, who appear to be on course to lose the upcoming general elections too. In another major setback, Labour’s David Skaith emerged victorious in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, securing victory in the prime minister’s own backyard. Skaith gathered almost a third of total votes. This is seen as a major jolt to PM Sunak as the seat is considered a Conservative stronghold. A scandal and a vote As per the report, the vote in Blackpool South was triggered by a lobbying scandal that saw the 2019-elected Conservative MP Scott Benton resign. Also read | Kim Jong-Un picks 25 virgins annually for his 'pleasure squad,' claims report On Thursday, over 2,000 seats were up for grabs in local elections that also saw some high-profile mayoral contests including UK capital London, besides the parliamentary seat of Blackpool South. According to Reuters, the "thumping victory" in Blackpool South "set the tone" for what it says are set to be a closely watched two days of results ahead of a full national election later this year. 'Seismic win' Polls show that this year's elections could be the end of 14 years of Conservative government, as Labour Leader Keir Starmer appears to be the popular choice. Applauding the victory, Starmer in a statement said, "This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today." Also read | 'Extortion' allegations, and more, here's what happened on Day 10 of Trump hush money trial "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," Starmer said. Most opinion polls show Sunak's Tories lagging 20 points behind Labour. Sunak is expected to call for a National Election in the second half of this year. (With inputs from agencies)

Labour records 'thumping victory,' snatches Blackpool South parliamentary seat from Sunak's Conservatives

<p><strong>UK local elections 2023:</strong> Early results showed the ruling Conservative Party had lost around 200 seats in the elections for over 8,000 seats on 230 local councils across England. The opposition Labour Party and the centrist Liberal Democrats made significant gains, with the latter seizing control from the Conservatives in Windsor, an affluent town west of London. The elections are seen as a test of support for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government as the country approaches a general election due by the end of 2024.</p>

<h2><strong>Sunak facing heat for the actions of his predecessor</strong></h2>

<p>While some contests focused on local issues such as potholes and garbage collection, voters seemed to have punished the Conservatives for the turmoil that engulfed the party under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned amid multiple scandals.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas Plus: The untold story of Rishi Sunak</strong></p>

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<p>Then as the new prime minister, Liz Truss&nbsp;faced criticism for her rash tax-cutting plans, which spooked financial markets, hammered the value of the pound, and roiled the wider British economy. Sunak, a smooth former banker, was later chosen to restore stability to the economy and the government.</p>

<h2><strong>Conservatives acknowledge ‘disappointing results’</strong></h2>

<p>Sunak acknowledged the "disappointing" results for the Conservatives but insisted that "it's still early" in terms of the overall results. Greg Hands, the Conservative party chair, also admitted it was a disappointing night for the party. He said, “We always said it would be a difficult night for the party, the independent projections were all that we were going to lose 1,000 seats.”<br />
<br />
“It’s still early days so far but if I might say, it’s not been that great a result for Labour in some areas,” he added.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-faces-questions-in-parliament-says-choice-before-country-is-clear-588588">UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces questions in Parliament, says 'choice before country is clear'</a></strong></p>

<h2><strong>Labour says it will achieve majority in general elections</strong></h2>

<p>Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, claimed that his party was on the course for the majority in the upcoming general elections. He said this in Medway, where Labour has won control of the council for the first time since 1998.</p>

<p>Labour Party's national campaign coordinator, Shabana Mahmood, also said that the results put Labour on course to win a majority of seats in the&nbsp;general election. The party gained control of at least three new councils, and the results have been a disaster for Sunak, said Mahmood.</p>

<h2><strong>Local elections don’t reflect the complete picture</strong></h2>

<p>Overall, the results are not a complete snapshot of the UK as there were no elections in London, Scotland, or Wales, while Northern Ireland is set to vote on May 18. However, the early results have shown that the Conservatives are losing support while the opposition is gaining ground.</p>

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UK local elections 2023: Early results showed the ruling Conservative Party had lost around 200 seats in the elections for over 8,000 seats on 230 local councils across England.

UK local elections 2023: Early results showed the ruling Conservative Party had lost around 200 seats in the elections for over 8,000 seats on 230 local councils across England. The opposition Labour Party and the centrist Liberal Democrats made significant gains, with the latter seizing control from the Conservatives in Windsor, an affluent town west of London. The elections are seen as a test of support for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government as the country approaches a general election due by the end of 2024. Sunak facing heat for the actions of his predecessor While some contests focused on local issues such as potholes and garbage collection, voters seemed to have punished the Conservatives for the turmoil that engulfed the party under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned amid multiple scandals. Watch: Gravitas Plus: The untold story of Rishi Sunak × Then as the new prime minister, Liz Truss faced criticism for her rash tax-cutting plans, which spooked financial markets, hammered the value of the pound, and roiled the wider British economy. Sunak, a smooth former banker, was later chosen to restore stability to the economy and the government. Conservatives acknowledge ‘disappointing results’ Sunak acknowledged the "disappointing" results for the Conservatives but insisted that "it's still early" in terms of the overall results. Greg Hands, the Conservative party chair, also admitted it was a disappointing night for the party. He said, “We always said it would be a difficult night for the party, the independent projections were all that we were going to lose 1,000 seats.” “It’s still early days so far but if I might say, it’s not been that great a result for Labour in some areas,” he added. Also Read | UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces questions in Parliament, says 'choice before country is clear' Labour says it will achieve majority in general elections Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, claimed that his party was on the course for the majority in the upcoming general elections. He said this in Medway, where Labour has won control of the council for the first time since 1998. Labour Party's national campaign coordinator, Shabana Mahmood, also said that the results put Labour on course to win a majority of seats in the general election. The party gained control of at least three new councils, and the results have been a disaster for Sunak, said Mahmood. Local elections don’t reflect the complete picture Overall, the results are not a complete snapshot of the UK as there were no elections in London, Scotland, or Wales, while Northern Ireland is set to vote on May 18. However, the early results have shown that the Conservatives are losing support while the opposition is gaining ground. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

UK local elections 2023: ‘Disappointing‘ results for Tories as Labour makes solid gains

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Labour records 'thumping victory,' snatches Blackpool South parliamentary seat from Sunak's Conservatives

UK local elections 2023: ‘Disappointing‘ results for Tories as Labour makes solid gains