Sky News projection: PM could win Commons majority of 48 based on local election analysis

Sky News is projecting that Theresa May could win a Commons majority of 48 in the General Election based on an analysis of local election results.

The figure is based on a study of all the parties' performance by Sky's election analyst, Professor Michael Thrasher, and is some way short of the win forecast by opinion polls.

The Tories performed strongly in the elections, making gains in Scotland and Labour heartlands, as Jeremy Corbyn admitted his party faced a challenge on a "historic scale".

Voters were deciding the make up of 88 councils in England, Scotland and Wales, and for the first time picking 'metro mayors' in six areas.

:: The results in full

The Conservatives had an extra 328 councillors in England and won control of another 10 local authorities.

Labour were down 150 seats and lost control of one council.

Tory candidate Ben Houchen scored a significant win in the Tees Valley mayoral race by more than 2,000 votes, after a run-off against Labour's Sue Jeffrey.

In the West Midlands, Conservative candidate and former John Lewis boss Andy Street became the region's mayor, narrowly beating Labour's Sion Simon by 238,628 votes to 234,862.

:: Analysis - No bubbly, no banners as Tories play it cool

Labour suffered a painful defeat in Glasgow, where it lost sway over the city council, under its control since 1980.

It also lost Welsh strongholds Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil to independents, as well as Bridgend.

But Jeremy Corbyn's party did win mayoral contests in Doncaster, North Tyneside, Liverpool and in Greater Manchester, where former health secretary Andy Burnham was elected with more than 60% of the vote.

Mr Corbyn described the results as "mixed" and said Labour was "closing the gap" on the Tories.

"We have five weeks to win the General Election so we can fundamentally transform Britain for the many, not the few," he said.

"We know this is no small task - it is a challenge on an historic scale. But we, the whole Labour movement and the British people, can't afford not to seize our moment."

Many of the Tory council gains - which include areas such as Derbyshire, East Sussex, Norfolk, Gloucestershire, Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire and Monmouthshire - came at the expense of UKIP, whose vote has collapsed.

The party won just one seat, losing 144 councillors in England.

UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said it had been "a victim of its own success" over Brexit and that the party was prepared to pay the price of losing seats to the Tories because it had won the crucial EU referendum.

The Liberal Democrats performance was mixed, coming away with 312 council seats - down 29 overall.

:: Theresa May's gamble on a June poll looks set to pay off

It failed to break through against the Conservatives in southwest England but in some General Election target seats, such as Eastleigh and Wells, it made gains.

Leader Tim Farron told supporters his party was now "breathing down Labour's necks" but warned that the Prime Minister was still heading for a "coronation" in the General Election.

In Scotland, Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said only her party could lead the "fightback against the SNP" - who want another independence referendum.

The Tories were up on 276 seats, up 164.

For the first time, the party had a councillor elected in the most deprived ares of Scotland, Paisley's Ferguslie Park.

Labour emerged seriously diminished, losing five councils and with 133 fewer councillors.

The SNP had 431 seats across Scotland, down seven.

Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said wresting control from Labour and becoming the biggest party on Glasgow City Council was a "fantastic, historic result".

The SNP won 39 out of 85 seats, just four short of an outright majority, as Labour went from 41 to 31.

Ms Sturgeon said: "What we've seen across Scotland today of course is the SNP vote holding firm... What we've seen is the collapse of Labour and that's the reason for the increase in the Conservative vote."

In Wales, the Tories gained 80 councillors and added control of one authority.

Labour were down 108 seats to end with 472, losing three councils, but retained control in the key cities of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

Plaid Cymru gained 32 councillors, with 202 in all.