United Kingdom

UK Labour party makes big gains in early local election counting

Labour had gained 111 seats as of 7am local time, according to a count compiled by the BBC

Labour leader Keir Starmer’s double-digit polling lead appears to be translating into results on the ground. Picture: Getty

The UK Labour Party made significant early gains in local elections in England, highlighting the scale of the task facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to turn around his party’s fortunes before an expected national vote next year.

Labour had gained 111 seats as of 7am local time, according to a count compiled by the BBC. With thousands of results yet to come in, the Tories were down 208 councillors, with the Liberal Democrats gaining 55.