Kemi Badenoch has insisted the Conservatives are “coming back” after the party recaptured Westminster council from Labour in London, even as the Tories suffered heavy losses across England in Thursday’s local elections.
Speaking to activists in Westminster, Ms Badenoch highlighted victories in Wandsworth, Fareham and Bexley as evidence of a revival. “The Conservatives are coming back,” she said. However, the party was wiped out in Havering, lost control of Suffolk county council to Reform UK, and saw its majority vanish in Newcastle-under-Lyme. In Essex, where Ms Badenoch is an MP, the Tories lost 41 seats while Reform gained 52.
Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin described the losses in Essex as “mortifying” after Reform took control of the county council, ending the Tories’ 25-year reign. He suggested the Conservative vote had already bottomed out and was recovering, while Reform may have peaked. On a possible pact with Reform at the next general election, he said it would depend on polling closer to the time.
Political analyst Peter Kellner noted that while the results were poor by historical standards, the Conservatives’ rate of seat losses had fallen from 68% in last year’s local elections to about 44% this year. “Compared with last year, they’re doing slightly better,” he said. Labour and the Tories both performed relatively well in London, reflecting the capital’s distinct political landscape, said Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics.
