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Labour Representation Committee
We will be posting regular blogs on this page. Please feel free to comment.
01 May 2008
Results start coming in
23:20 - No surprise perhaps, but Tories hold Tamworth. Gaining one council seat. Given Labour's low base from 2004, this doesn't bode well for Brian Jenkins, local Labour who would need less than a 3% swing against him to lose at the next General Election.
23:40 - BBC reports turnout in London may be higher in some constituencies than in the last general election.
00:25 - a few interesting results: Labour lose five councillors, but hold Sunderland; Lib Dems gain Kingston-upon-Hull; Tories gain Harlow
All three of these boroughs have Labour MPs. Overall as at 00:25, Labour has lost 14 councillors. Early indications also seem to show that the Tories are squeezing the Lib Dems in the south of England.
00:30 - BNP gains 2 seats in Nuneaton and Bedworth, which has also turned Tory from Labour
01:30 - Labour has now lost a total of over 50 councillors - and has lost seats (net) in every English region. The BBC is projecting 24% share of the vote for Labour.
1:40 - BBC's projected national share of the vote, based on over 1.5m votes in key seats shows Labour on 24%, Tories on 44%, with Lib Dems on 25%. Showing Labour in third and Lib Dems also squeezed by Tories. Almost a reverse of 1995 when Labour polled 47% to 25% to Tories - and that led to Labour landslide in 1997
2:00 - Commenting to the media, John McDonnell MP (LRC Chair) said: "Despite all the warnings from Labour MPs and Labour Party activists on the ground, New Labour's policies have brought us close to a potentially irretrievable tipping point.
"Without a radical change of direction, we are witnessing a Labour Government slipping away."
2:40 - Over 100 Labour councillors have now lost their seats. BNP has gained 2 seats in Amber Valley and 1 in Thurrock.
John McDonnell has just been interviewed on Radio 4 - I'm sure you can listen again online.
3:45 - FINAL UPDATE - Being interviewed on BBC and Sky, LRC Chair John McDonnell MP said that "Labour is in danger of sleepwalking into a Tory Government . . . which would be a disaster for this country".
Labour has now lost 130 council seats with over one-third of councils yet to declare
With Labour's share of the vote reduced to 24%, and Labour pushed into third place, John added: "If Ken wins in London, which looks increasingly tough, it will be because of his personal vote and the policies he's introduced."
posted by Andrew at
9 Comments:
said...
Further to my earlier post, turnout is also reported to be extemellty high in Tory areas. Apparently iy may have reached as high as 60% in Bromley!
01 May 2008 23:34
Sean said...
hmmm interesting but not sounding good on that basis
01 May 2008 23:57
said...
Good idea to have a live election blog. Glad there's an alternative to Luke A!
02 May 2008 00:36
Duncan Hall said...
We could seriously do with some left comment on the BBC because our people are sounding a bit hopeless right now (lots of 'we need to listen' but not coherent on what the message is, nor what we'll do when we've listened). We need to some comment saying 'we need to do this, this and this.'
Really not looking good is it? A few interesting results here and there, that show local variations. I don't think too much could be read into these nationwide results re: the mayor either.
Duncan (glum in Yorkshire!)
02 May 2008 02:38
Robert said...
I cannot believe the silly comments coming from some MP's and the normal tripe about people are only doing this to hurt us, nope your wrong we are warning you your going down the wrong route.
Railways are now more expensive and rail companies are making massive profits, to catch a train now you have to be rich, sort it out. Power companies are saying god we are having a tough time, are they with record profits, get them back into state control or sort them out.
Welfare reforms are welfare on step to many real disabled people are hurting.
Labour is a socialist government not a bloody copy of the Tories I want Labour to forget about what the Tories are doing and tell me what your doing.
02 May 2008 07:16
said...
Gone very quiet here!
02 May 2008 08:22
Jon Rogers said...
I guess people are catching up on sleep! I went to bed rather than watch this political car crash.
The LRC needs immediately to publicise three or four key priorities we can push in the Party - someone has to argue hard for real Labour policies now.
02 May 2008 08:32
marshajane said...
I see we have now lost reading and early indications are that Boris is winning in 10 constituencies.
02 May 2008 12:22
Louise said...
Dan: "Apparently iy may have reached as high as 60% in Bromley!"
And living in Bromley myself I can fully believe it! The area I live in is Labour but the rest is a sea of true blue. Very scary indeed and it is these Tory heartlands that are voting for Boris...
02 May 2008 12:38
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