Local Elections 2024 - Tories 'could lose 500 councillors' as Labour snatches Redditch from Conservatives

Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the Tories could be on course to lose 500 councillors in “one of the worst, if not the worst” performances by the party in 40 years. He spoke as a key early Midland result saw Labour pick up nine seats and overall control in the General Election battleground of Redditch.

Tories saw their tally drop by 11. Curtice told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "So far they are basically losing a half of the seats they are trying to defend. If that continues they may end up losing 500 or so seats, which is the thing they were meant to avoid.

"Early days yet, but where we have got the detailed voting numbers, it looks as though the Conservative vote is a wee bit down on where it was last year. We are probably looking at certainly one of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances in local government elections for the last 40 years.”

READ MORE: Local elections 2024 live results across West Midlands

Labour won 21 of the 27 seats contested in Redditch while the Tories won five and the Greens one. New council leader, Coun Joe Baker, told the Redditch Standard : "It’s a great mandate and we will be doing all the things we said we were going to.

"The library will be staying where it is in its current building. The town hall will remain as a hub without the library, the outdoor market will be returning and we will put the council on a sound financial footing.

This will be a fresh start for Redditch. I didn’t expect a victory of this magnitude and the hard work really does start now.

“I have a fantastic team who have worked so hard – this result is down to two years of dedication to the cause. We have talked to people, listened to people and produced a manifesto that puts people at the centre of it."

There is “no doubt” that Rishi Sunak will lead the Conservatives into a general election, party chairman Richard Holden said as the results rolled in. He was repeatedly asked whether the Prime Minister could survive following losses in key areas like Hartlepool, Rushmoor in Hampshire and Thurrock.

He told Times Radio: “The Prime Minister is going to go on and lead the Conservative Party into the general election, there’s no doubt about that.” Asked for his reaction to the results so far, Mr Holden said: “Not a great set of results but coming off I think it would be fair to say a very high watermark in 2021.”