Theresa May speaks to reporters about Thursday's local election results. (Image: Sky News screenshot)
UK Conservatives Lose Over 1,200 Local Seats in Local Elections
Labour lost 100 seats as well, Liberal Democrats and other independent parties the big winners
Small and independent parties won big in local elections in the U.K. on Thursday as the country's two largest parties suffered decisive defeats.
The Greens, a left-wing party, posted their biggest gain in years.
"We've broken through on to the councils to become the new voice," party co-leader Sian Berry told The Guardian.
The Liberal Democrats, a centrist party that opposes Brexit, also saw large gains.
"The Lib Dems were written off at one point but we're coming back very, very strongly," said party leader Vince Cable.
By contrast, Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives lost over 1,200 seats and opposition party Labour lost 100. The results were largely interpreted as a rejection of the continuing debate over Brexit as the country delayed its departure from the E.U. for another six months.
British commentators were quick to note the connection between the country's increasingly dysfunctional national politics and the trickle-down effect to local elections.
In a column for the BBC, pollster John Curtice said that voters were sending a message to politicians: "A plague on both your houses."
"That seems to have been the key message to emerge from the ballot boxes," said Curtice.
The Guardian editorial board cautioned the two main parties on the future, citing the European Parliamentary elections coming later in the month.
"With European elections impending, there is a lesson for both Labour and the Tories," said The Guardian. "They cannot easily profit as the Brexit process drifts on and on, but their insurgent rivals might."
Tom Newton Dunn, politics editor for The Sun, said in a tweet that the results were "another unwanted record" for May.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, in remarks to ITV, said that the results mean the country has to deal with Brexit, one way or another.
"An arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, Parliament has to resolve this issue," said Corbyn. "I think that is very, very clear."
May, on the other hand, took the results to mean that the country wants Parliament to "deliver Brexit."
"How she got that from these results is beyond me," said Ian Dunt, the editor of politics.co.uk.
Twitter user @SheRa_Marley, however, had a pretty good idea.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Small and independent parties won big in local elections in the U.K. on Thursday as the country's two largest parties suffered decisive defeats.
The Greens, a left-wing party, posted their biggest gain in years.
"We've broken through on to the councils to become the new voice," party co-leader Sian Berry told The Guardian.
The Liberal Democrats, a centrist party that opposes Brexit, also saw large gains.
"The Lib Dems were written off at one point but we're coming back very, very strongly," said party leader Vince Cable.
By contrast, Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives lost over 1,200 seats and opposition party Labour lost 100. The results were largely interpreted as a rejection of the continuing debate over Brexit as the country delayed its departure from the E.U. for another six months.
British commentators were quick to note the connection between the country's increasingly dysfunctional national politics and the trickle-down effect to local elections.
In a column for the BBC, pollster John Curtice said that voters were sending a message to politicians: "A plague on both your houses."
"That seems to have been the key message to emerge from the ballot boxes," said Curtice.
The Guardian editorial board cautioned the two main parties on the future, citing the European Parliamentary elections coming later in the month.
"With European elections impending, there is a lesson for both Labour and the Tories," said The Guardian. "They cannot easily profit as the Brexit process drifts on and on, but their insurgent rivals might."
Tom Newton Dunn, politics editor for The Sun, said in a tweet that the results were "another unwanted record" for May.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, in remarks to ITV, said that the results mean the country has to deal with Brexit, one way or another.
"An arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, Parliament has to resolve this issue," said Corbyn. "I think that is very, very clear."
May, on the other hand, took the results to mean that the country wants Parliament to "deliver Brexit."
"How she got that from these results is beyond me," said Ian Dunt, the editor of politics.co.uk.
Twitter user @SheRa_Marley, however, had a pretty good idea.
Small and independent parties won big in local elections in the U.K. on Thursday as the country's two largest parties suffered decisive defeats.
The Greens, a left-wing party, posted their biggest gain in years.
"We've broken through on to the councils to become the new voice," party co-leader Sian Berry told The Guardian.
The Liberal Democrats, a centrist party that opposes Brexit, also saw large gains.
"The Lib Dems were written off at one point but we're coming back very, very strongly," said party leader Vince Cable.
By contrast, Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives lost over 1,200 seats and opposition party Labour lost 100. The results were largely interpreted as a rejection of the continuing debate over Brexit as the country delayed its departure from the E.U. for another six months.
British commentators were quick to note the connection between the country's increasingly dysfunctional national politics and the trickle-down effect to local elections.
In a column for the BBC, pollster John Curtice said that voters were sending a message to politicians: "A plague on both your houses."
"That seems to have been the key message to emerge from the ballot boxes," said Curtice.
The Guardian editorial board cautioned the two main parties on the future, citing the European Parliamentary elections coming later in the month.
"With European elections impending, there is a lesson for both Labour and the Tories," said The Guardian. "They cannot easily profit as the Brexit process drifts on and on, but their insurgent rivals might."
Tom Newton Dunn, politics editor for The Sun, said in a tweet that the results were "another unwanted record" for May.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, in remarks to ITV, said that the results mean the country has to deal with Brexit, one way or another.
"An arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, Parliament has to resolve this issue," said Corbyn. "I think that is very, very clear."
May, on the other hand, took the results to mean that the country wants Parliament to "deliver Brexit."
"How she got that from these results is beyond me," said Ian Dunt, the editor of politics.co.uk.
Twitter user @SheRa_Marley, however, had a pretty good idea.