Five key takeaways from the local elections 2022
Tories battered in London – but Labour fail to make widespread gains

The Conservatives have been hit with a triple whammy of losses in London local elections, losing Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet councils to Labour.
Following overnight counts in more than half of the country’s councils, Tory losses are “nudging into the triple digits”, Politico’s London Playbook reported, prompting “several Conservative council leaders” to turn “their fire on Boris Johnson”.
But while “there has been a clear shift from the Tories to Labour in London”, the national picture remains “complicated”, said Sky News’s deputy political editor Sam Coates. The results so far mean Keir Starmer “still faces questions” and “it is too early to say if he is gaining enough ground in areas needed to win a general election”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
1. Capital gains
The result in Wandsworth “is a huge symbolic victory for Labour”, said Politico. It was “famously Margaret Thatcher’s favourite Tory council” and “has been under Conservative control for 44 years”. Winning Westminster, which “has been Tory-controlled since it was created 58 years ago”, was also “at the very upper end of Labour’s expectations”.
The outgoing Conservative leader of Wandsworth Council, Ravi Govindia, said “the issue of Boris Johnson” had lost the Conservatives votes in the area, telling the BBC: “Inevitably other events have clouded the judgement of people in Wandsworth.”
Barnet Tory leader Daniel Thomas said the result was “a warning shot from Conservative supporters”, adding: “Clearly if Labour are to get a majority in Parliament they need to win Barnet. They won the council, if they win our parliamentary constituencies as well, then it doesn’t bode well for us to form a government in future general elections.”
The victory shows Labour “continuing to improve in London”, Sky News’s Coates said, as well as indicating a “clear shift away” from the Conservatives in the capital.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
2. Marginal growth
While Labour sources were delighted by their performance in London, the results so far suggest Keir Starmer has lost support elsewhere, a polling expert said.
John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, described how Labour support “appeared to have fallen in many areas Sir Keir would need to win in a general election in order to command an overall majority”, The Telegraph said.
He told the BBC: “I think that has to be said, the Labour Party has been wanting to argue throughout the night that these local election results clearly demonstrate evidence of progress. In London that is true.
“But outside of London as compared with 2018 when the seats were last contested, it looks as though Labour’s vote is actually down slightly.”
He added that the Labour vote share across the country is not “quite the degree of progress that they might have anticipated”.
3. Johnson’s fate
Restless Tory backbenchers had been planning to move against Johnson if the results went badly for the Conservatives, with one former cabinet minister telling The Guardian yesterday that MPs’ “phones will be humming over the weekend”.
But the Daily Mail said that his cabinet is set to “rally round” him as a “defiant” prime minister “brushes off” his party’s losses in the capital and “rebukes” his leadership rivals.
The “results so far have not been as apocalyptic as feared and Labour has not turned in a stellar performance”, the paper reported, prompting his closest allies to “hit the airwaves to argue he should stay on as PM”.
4. Lib Dem bounce
It was a good night for the Liberal Democrats, who “increased support in all four regions of England”, according to analysis carried out for Sky News.
Deputy political editor Sam Coates said that “winning Hull from Labour, securing gains from the Tories in Merton and depriving the Tories of a majority in David Cameron’s backyard of West Oxfordshire” all spelled a successful election outing for the opposition party.
5. Confusing picture
With Labour claiming success and the Tories downplaying their losses, it is difficult to unpick the spin from the truth of the election results.
A Tory source summed up the confusion, telling Politico it was a “difficult night” for his party due to their losses in the capital, but adding: “Outside London, this is now looking like a bad night for Labour across the rest of the country.
“They have gone backwards in places like Sunderland, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Nuneaton, Sandwell and Amber Valley, showing they are seriously underperforming in former Labour heartlands which they need to regain.”
The “picture is messy”, said Sky News’s Coates. There were “symbolic wins for Labour, but lots of areas where they still face questions”. As the results stand, “neither main party is unambiguously the winner”, he added.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
Are bonds worth investing in?
the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?
Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Labour and the so-called 'banter ban'
Talking Point Critics are claiming that a clause in the new Employment Rights Bill will spell the end of free-flowing pub conversation
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Did China sabotage British Steel?
Today's Big Question Emergency situation at Scunthorpe blast furnaces could be due to 'neglect', but caution needed, says business secretary
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
What is Starmer's £33m plan to smash 'vile' Channel migration gangs?
Today's Big Question PM lays out plan to tackle migration gangs like international terrorism, with cooperation across countries and enhanced police powers
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
The tribes battling it out in Keir Starmer's Labour Party
The Explainer From the soft left to his unruly new MPs, Keir Starmer is already facing challenges from some sections of the Labour Party
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Are we on the brink of a recession?
Today's Big Question Britain's shrinking economy is likely to upend Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement spending plans
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Has Starmer put Britain back on the world stage?
Talking Point UK takes leading role in Europe on Ukraine and Starmer praised as credible 'bridge' with the US under Trump
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
CPAC: Scenes from a MAGA zoo
Feature Standing ovations, chainsaws, and salutes
By The Week US