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Local Elections 2022: Tories might have ...

Local Elections 2022: Tories might have expected more losses than this, they deserved far

May 06, 2022

The Tories Local Election night, although filled with losses, has been offset by gains too. Should've been worse. The Tories have had a predictably bad night in the local elections, people were determined to give them a bloody nose and they have, so far over 120 seats lost, along with historically Tory councils like Wandsworth and Westminster, which held up as Tory even under Thatcher’s final years. Labour gained them, something which Starmer’s fans will be fixating on, but the Tories will be looking at loses in the 100-200 bracket as actually, not too bad. Of course they should’ve lost many times that, but the Tory vote has held up in the North. They’ve gained councillors in Hartlepool for instance, Oldham, Salford, Sandwell and these were at Labour’s expense, areas you’d expect Labour to be making gains if they’re truly challenging to get the Tories out at the next General Election and of course you’re looking at these results and thinking how in hell are these people voting Tory still, after the partying, the cost of living crisis, the refusal to help people meaningfully, but of course we know that there are people out there who do only think of themselves, do only vote Tory because they always have and always will and not turning out to vote is unthinkable to them despite the damage to the nation happening all around them. But, and it’s a big but, a lot of these erstwhile Tory voters will have stayed at home. Equally, people utterly uninspired by anyone else will have stayed at home and that might account for the Tories actually making gains at Labour’s expense in many areas, offsetting those losses. I asked the question on Twitter yesterday, hardly scientific I know about how busy polling stations were when people went to vote and although some were busy, most were apparently anything but. Turnout isn’t getting discussed much, figures are not readily available right now as results pour in, but I’m expecting when the dust settles, a lot of these results will have been won on much reduced turnout. You can’t blame the weather it was lovely yesterday, but apathy. Apathy with the Tories you can understand, but Labour voters not turning out either does show why only about 28% of Tory losses have actually gone to Labour and that failure on Labour’s part, might yet save Johnson’s premiership – at least for now.

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