Britain's ruling Conservatives, suffer major defeat in local councils

LONDON, May 4 (KUNA) -- The UK Conservative Party suffered a significant defeat in Saturday's partial local elections, save for only three local councils.
The British Electoral Commission declared the defeat of the Conservatives, under the leadership of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, marking the loss of 10 local councils and 467 council members across England and Wales. The Conservative Party now controls only 10 councils, with their membership limited to 505 members.
On the other hand, the Labour Party expanded to 49 councils, adding 8, and gained 182 new members, totaling 1,101. The Liberal Democrats now oversee 12 councils, up by 2, with 102 new members, reaching a total of 515.
The Conservative Party lost the Blackpool seat in the House of Commons, the lower chamber, to the Labour Party by a significant margin of votes. This defeat comes after the former Conservative MP for Liverpool resigned from his position last month following convictions in financial scandals linked to donated funds.
Political analysts predict that the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is likely to win the next general elections, whose date is pending. The prediction is based on the Conservatives' decreasing popularity, driven by dissatisfaction with their healthcare and social services policies, and their foreign policy, particularly regarding the ongoing aggression by the occupying forces on Gaza. (end) mrn.nsa.ahs