Yahoo News Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told 'goodbye' as Labour seize Nuneaton and Bedworth
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been sent a message from Nuneaton and Bedworth - 'goodbye'. They were the words of the new Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council leader, councillor Chris Watkins.
His Labour group swept to power at the Town Hall, seeing its seats rise from six to 20 as they took back the control after losing to the Conservatives in 2021. In doing so, Cllr Watkins issued a message to the Prime Minister - "Hope you've had a nice time: goodbye."
Nuneaton and Bedworth has long been seen as a bellwether borough., providing an indication on how the nation is going to vote. Cllr Watkins said that his Labour group will now look to take some action over the concerns raised on the doorstep.
READ MORE: Nuneaton and Bedworth local election 2024 count live as results announced
"I will hopefully be able to move forward with some of the ideas that I have had for some time and to make some of my dreams become a reality," he said. But he added: "I have got sit down with officers and I won't be committing to anything until I know what the finances are."
'Not the total wipeout predicted'
However former council leader, Cllr Kris Wilson, defended the result for the local Conservative party and said it was 'not the total wipeout' expected compared to other results across the country. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but you know what, if you look at the national picture when we woke up this morning, it is nowhere near the total wipeout everyone predicted," he said.
"It felt a bit gloomy coming in this morning, but you know what, Labour should be wiping the floor with us here if you believe the national polls. But we didn't see that here in Nuneaton and Bedworth, so I think that we have proven the experts wrong."
As a result of the local election, Labour has 20 seats, the Conservatives have 16 and the Green Party has two. "Labour haven't got the stonking majority like they used to in the old days," he added.
"They have a majority of two. When I first became a councillor, they would have a majority of 20 themselves. When I first became group leader in 2014, I only had three councillors, so this is by no means the wipeout that everyone was predicting."
Now, after three years in control, the Conservatives find themselves back in opposition, but it is not something Cllr Wilson fears. "I will relish the challenge," he said.
"I will be holding their feet to the fire and I will watching them every step of the way because we are on the cusp of a great regeneration in Nuneaton and Bedworth and I genuinely fear for our town centres now."
He concluded: "In two years' time, it is all to play for. You haven't seen the back of me or the Conservatives in Nuneaton and Bedworth."
