TORIES LOSE CROWNJEWELS

LONDON FLAGSHIPS FALL TO LABOUR | WANDSWORTH, WESTMINSTER, BARNET TURN RED | BUT STARMER FAILS TO MAKE NATIONWIDE BREAKTHROUGH | GOOD NIGHT FOR LIB DEMS AS THEY MAKE BIG GAINS | Big questions for Starmer as he fails to make key gains

- Nicholas Cecil, Rachael Burford and David Bond

LABOUR seized three Tory crown jewel town halls in London today in a blow to Boris Johnson.

The Conservatives lost Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet as growing numbers of Londoners turned their back on the party. However, outside the capital, early results showed Labour not making the gains which could give Sir Keir Starmer confidence that he has the door to No10 firmly within his sights.

His party also lost Hull to the Liberal Democrats who by early this morning were making more gains across the country than Labour.

As more counts were under way across England, political leaders also had their eyes firmly on Northern Ireland where Sinn Fein could gain the most  members at Stormont and the First Minister post. Such a result could spark political turmoil, fresh calls for a border poll and raise fears over the break-up of the United Kingdom in the wake of Brexit.

But the immediate drama of the night came in the capital with Labour's triple win of Tory flagship councils in elections held amid the growing costof-living crisis and the partygate scandal. Wandsworth, an ultra-low council tax authority held by the Conservatives for more than 40 years, Westminster, Tory since its creation in 1964, and Margaret Thatcher's former town hall of Barnet, all fell within hours. Responding to the results, Mr Johnson said: “The clearest signal of all from this election is that voters across the UK are sick of politicians bickering and sniping in a Westminster bubble when they face very real challenges with the cost of living. So this Government will work harder than ever to grow the economy, ease the burden and ensure there are jobs and opportunities across the whole of the country.” Speaking shortly after 8am in Barnet, which Labour failed to gain in 2018 amid the Jeremy Corbyn anti-Semitism row, party leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “We have turned a massive corner in the Labour Party here.