Local & Mayoral Election Results

In today’s Local and Mayoral elections we have made good progress – gaining on vote share and topping the polls in lots of seats that we can gain in June. However, I know it doesn’t feel that way for those brilliant campaigners who haven’t got the result they deserve.

As we’re looking at the results coming in, there are two clear stories emerging:

First is a message of hope.

Our projected national vote share is up 7% – the largest vote increase of any party. In many parts of the UK, the Lib Dems won more councillors and took a big step to winning on 8th June.

With many results still to come in, we’ve topped the polls in Cheltenham, St Albans, Cambridge, North East Fife, Cardiff Central, Bath, Edinburgh West, Eastleigh, Oxford West & Abingdon, Watford and Eastbourne.

We’ve made gains in many more areas that are key to winning on 8th June.

While Labour and UKIP have been swept aside, we are still standing strong.

The second story is about the Conservatives.

They have had a good day. They turned this local election into a national one changing the dynamic of the election. They won over most of the people that voted UKIP in the past.

Some Lib Dems lost their seats to this unholy alliance – even though our vote went up. My thoughts are with our candidates and campaigners in those areas.

When the dust settles at the end of the day, the scene will be set for the General Election.

On one side will be the Conservatives, their plans for a damaging, dangerous Brexit and heartless cuts to our schools and NHS, which will only be made worse by a large majority and our communities taken for granted.

The other side is the Liberal Democrats. We offer a path of hope for a Britain. We need a different approach to Europe, we must invest in our NHS and ensure every child can go to a good school.

We have a message of hope to fight their message of fear.

Together we can change Britain’s future.



Jeremy Corbyn statement on the local election results

Jeremy
Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party,
commenting on the local election results, said:

“The
results were mixed. We lost seats but we are closing the gap on the
Conservatives. I am disappointed at every Labour defeat in the local elections.
Too many fantastic councillors, who work tirelessly for their communities, lost
their seats.

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

“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.  

“The
British people have been held back for too long. Labour will put more money in
people’s pockets with a £10 real living wage, look after our pensioners by
protecting the triple lock on state pensions and give everybody the care and
dignity they deserve by properly funding our NHS and social care system.

“I urge
everyone to vote Labour because things can, and will, change.



SNP win the Scottish council elections

The SNP has won Scotland’s council elections, winning more councillors, more votes and more councils than any other party.



Scottish Conservatives lead the fightback against the SNP

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5 May 2017

Ruth1

Today’s council election results prove the Scottish Conservatives are leading the country’s fightback against the SNP, Ruth Davidson has said.

The Scottish Conservative leader hailed the party’s best ever result under the current local government system, returning 276 councillors.

Gains were made in every single mainland local authority, and the Scottish Conservatives also elected their first ever councillor in the Western Isles.

It comes after the party published the most detailed council manifesto, and remain the only ones to stand up to the SNP on its threat of a second independence referendum.

Among today’s achievements were…

  • Gains in every mainland seat, more than doubling the vote from 2012
  • The party’s best local government result under the current system, beating Labour – the first time this has happened since local government boundaries were redrawn in 1974.
  • Stopped the SNP gaining overall control in various local authorities including Glasgow
  • Outpolling Labour in East Renfrewshire by two to one
  • Returning groups of councillors in Highlands, North Lanarkshire and Midlothian where previously there was no Scottish Conservative representation at all.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:

“I’d like to congratulate every councillor, no matter their party allegiance, who has been elected today. Being asked to serve your local community is both a real achievement and a great responsibility.

“I’d also like to thank everybody who voted Scottish Conservative yesterday – especially those who did so for the first time. Every Scottish Conservative councillor elected today will repay your trust by delivering better local services, not more constitutional division.

“Today’s result makes one thing crystal clear: all across Scotland, only the Scottish Conservatives have the strength to fight back against the SNP.

“We denied the SNP a majority at Holyrood last year.

“We have gained seats in councils all over Scotland today. We are now in a position to lead Scotland’s fight back on June 8 in the general election too.

“We will speak up for the millions of Scots who have had enough of the uncertainty and division of the last few years. We will stand up for everyone who doesn’t want a second referendum on independence.

“We will demand that politicians of all parties focus instead on the things that matter: restoring excellence to Scotland’s schools, and getting our economy back to health.

“As we turn to the election on June 8, we know Nicola Sturgeon is still refusing to listen – only last week she said independence would be at the ‘heart’ of the General Election campaign.

“If you want to send the SNP a message, then today’s result shows that, no matter where you live in Scotland, a vote for the Scottish Conservatives will ensure your voice is heard loud and clear.”​



Press release: Baroness Anelay visits the Caribbean and Central America

On 1-5 May 2017 the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE, Minister of State for the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and the UN, visited Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Venezuela for the first time.

While in Trinidad & Tobago, Baroness Anelay met President Carmona, where she discussed bilateral relations and Commonwealth affairs. The Minister also met the Minister of Foreign and Caribbean Community Affairs, the Attorney General and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister to discuss corruption and UK support for criminal justice reform in Trinidad & Tobago.

Baroness Anelay, who is also responsible for the UK’s international policy on human rights and gender issues, met the Director for Gender and Child Affairs and local NGOs to discuss current work on these issues in Trinidad & Tobago.

Baroness Anelay then travelled to Guyana to meet with President Granger and members of the Cabinet; the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Irwin LaRoque; members of the Private Sector Commission and a number of NGOs. Guyana and the UK have worked closely to tackle corruption, violence, and the infiltration of narcotics and people traffickers from across Guyana’s borders.

On the last part of the visit in Venezuela, an FCO Human Rights Priority Country, the Minister explored joint programmes on human rights, energy, climate change, and education and cultural co-operation. She met government Ministers to discuss bilateral relations, human rights, climate change and energy. In these meetings the Minister also expressed her concern about the ongoing political situation and unrest in Venezuela. Baroness Anelay also met Venezuelan human rights defenders, to review important UK projects in capacity building and gender equality.

Further information