Tory aides have been using the West Midlands as an example of an area where they are outperforming their (pretty disappointing) national trend.īut this is in the context of a disastrous performance for the Conservatives nationwide. Joe Pike, political correspondent, says: The Conservatives have bucked the national trend by holding on to Dudley council where around a third of seats were up for grabs. Joanne asked: 'Why do you think that the Labour Party are struggling to make gains in Dudley, the borough in which I live, and the neighbouring borough of Sandwell?' One question posed by a reader during our local elections Q&A earlier required a bit more digging. The Tees Valley has long been losing faith in Labour - a trend accelerated by Brexit.Įven in the 2019 local elections, when the Conservatives collapsed, this region kept the faith.ĭuring the period that followed, that support was compounded as Boris Johnson took seats, followed by an historic by election victory in Hartlepool.Īlongside that, there was the election that saw Contive Ben Houchen win a second term with over 70 per cent of the vote.Īnd after today’s result, it’s starting to look like Tory's most resilient base in what was once the 'red wall'. It will no doubt be a cause for concern in the leader’s office as the result is analysed over the coming days. In Darlington and Hartlepool Sir Keir Starmer’s party progressed but were unable to take back overall control of either. It was a pattern that was most pronounced in Stockton, but in other areas of the North East the Conservative vote was more stubborn than many expected. Going against the national picture, it was instead the Conservatives that took seats and became the biggest group for the first time in many years, in a council that remains under no overall control. In Stockton on Tees, the party’s cautious optimism quickly turned to confused disappointment as the results started coming in. It’s been a big day for Labour as they make gains across the country, except one area didn’t get the memo.

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