Based on the results declared so far, Labour is winning in the
areas that will decide the general election.
We have gained key councils such as Rushmoor, Thurrock, and
Hartlepool and gained an MP for Blackpool South with a historic
26% swing. All of these overlap with battlegrounds for the next
election and represent several key areas of the country which
Labour needs to win. If Labour is to win the next election, we
need to be winning in these places – and we are.
Labour's gain in Rushmoor is a historic result. Rushmoor has
never had a Labour majority council and has been run by the
Conservatives for the last 24 years. The council also contains
Aldershot parliamentary constituency which is a key battleground
for Labour at the general election and is the home of the British
Army.
Labour's gain in Hartlepool is groundbreaking after the
disappointing results in the 2021 by-election. Making gains here
shows that the Labour Party is winning in the places it needs to
be.
Labour's gain in Thurrock is exactly the kind of constituency
Labour will need to win in order to gain a majority in the
General Election. The Conservatives bankrupted the council and
increased council tax by 18%. This result shows that the people
of Thurrock want change.
What is most important is where Labour's gains are happening. The
council results are about making inroads in the areas Labour
needs to win in order to win the General Election, and are a
better guide to what will happen at the next general election
than the mayoral elections.
Labour is tracking the aggregate vote share across constituencies
where all the results are declared and all or the vast majority
of the constituency has elections – this shows us winning several
key marginals that would decide the general election. Results so
far in places such as Thurrock, Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes,
Aldershot and Redditch suggest that Labour is performing beyond
what is needed to clearly decide a general election.
In 1979, 1997 and 2010 election years the Government saw improved
results because normally, by now, you would expect them to be
experiencing political dividends. Anything less than gains for
the Conservatives is catastrophic for .
There are still lots of results to come today and tomorrow and we
are confident of making more gains.
MP, Labour's National Campaign Coordinator,
said:
“These results show that Labour is making progress in the places
needed that will decide the general election.
“The Tories needed to be making gains in an election year.
Instead their vote has collapsed in a key by election and they
are suffering losses of council seats. Responsibility for this
sits firmly with who is being punished by
voters for the Tories' failure.
“These results are sending a clear message that people across the
country are demanding change, and only the Labour Party will
deliver that. It's time for a general
election now.”
