UK local election: Tories 'rebuffed by voters'

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his way to the polling station

Photo: Tim Ireland / dpa

After the landmark regional elections in Great Britain, the first results have become known that point to a clear defeat for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Accordingly, the Conservative Party loses 53 seats on the city council.

The main opposition party, Labor, gained a seat and the Liberal Democrats 27 seats.

The full result is expected later today.

The election is seen as an important test of public opinion about the policies of Johnson, who won the 2019 general election, the largest majority for the Conservative Party in more than 30 years.

Most recently, the prime minister made headlines when he was fined for violating his own corona rules.

In addition, the elections come at a time of a massive cost-of-living crisis in the country.

Johnson is arguably the first British leader to break the law during his tenure.

Last month he was fined for attending a birthday party at his office in 2020, breaking rules put in place at the time to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"These results confirm that the Conservatives have received a sort of rebuff from voters," said John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde.

The election decides nearly 7,000 City Council seats, including all seats in London, Scotland and Wales, and a third of the seats in the rest of the UK.

Tories apparently lose important London district

The evening's most followed results across London's 32 boroughs are not yet fully tallied, but early results showed that Labor was gaining ground in some areas of the capital.

Partial results showed that Johnson's party could lose control of the borough of Wandsworth, arguably their most important borough in London.

mfh/Reuters