Rishi Sunak experienced a significant by-election setback and faces further pain in council contests across England. Labour's Chris Webb secured victory in the parliamentary seat of Blackpool South, marking a noteworthy swing of 26.33% from the Tories. This victory for Sir Keir Starmer's party was accompanied by successful council wins in areas poised to be critical battlegrounds in upcoming general election. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00As the election counting halls across England buzz with anticipation, the scene is set for
00:06a melodrama of Tory woes. Disgruntled Conservative councillors, their faces etched with concern
00:14and uncertainty awaiting their electoral fate. As the results begin to trickle in, the scale
00:21of Rishi Sunak's setback begins to become apparent.
00:25In a turn of events that can only be described as mildly surprising, Labour's Chris Webb
00:29secured victory in the parliamentary seat of Blackpool South. The magnitude of his win
00:34however was significant, with a swing of 26% from the Tories.
00:39The people of Blackpool South have spoken for Britain. They have said to Rishi Sunak
00:45and to the Conservatives they've had enough.
00:48The Tories narrowly avoided an embarrassing descent into third place in Blackpool South,
00:53clinging on with a mere 117 vote lead over Reform UK. Although many councils are yet
01:00to declare their votes, initial outcomes do not bode well for the Prime Minister. Election
01:05analysts have issued warnings suggesting that the Conservatives may be on track to lose
01:10approximately 500 seats, potentially marking their worst performance in four decades.
01:16Amid this electoral turbulence, Sir Keir Starmer celebrated what he termed a seismic win for
01:22Labour in the Blackpool South by-election.
01:24Here in Blackpool a message has been sent directly to the Prime Minister, directly to
01:31the Prime Minister because this was a parliamentary vote. This was directly to Rishi Sunak to
01:37say we're fed up with your decline, your chaos and your division and we want change.
01:45Chris Webb's victory marked the third largest swing from the Conservatives to Labour in
01:49a by-election since the Second World War. These losses have fuelled speculation about
01:55internal discontent within the Tory ranks, with rumours swirling of a potential rebel
02:00plot to oust the Prime Minister in anticipation of further poorer local election results.
02:06Rishi Sunak spoke of his disappointment.
02:08It's disappointing to lose good, hard-working Conservative councillors and I'm grateful
02:13to them for all their service in local government, keeping council tax low and delivering services
02:18for local people, but we've still got lots of results to come as well.
02:22Despite the prevailing gloom, it appears that not all Tories have lost their fighting spirit.
02:27Councillor Dan Swords hailed an incredible victory at Harlow Council, where the party's
02:32majority was cut from nine to a solitary one.
02:36This is an incredible result. It's no secret the Conservative Party is in a difficult place
02:40at the moment, but here in Harlow we have bucked that trend. We have won the council.
02:46The Labour Party were sending shadow minister after shadow minister down, Keir Starmer and
02:50Angela Rayner only yesterday.
02:52As the weekend progresses, the Prime Minister is braced for further pain as more results
02:57trickle in, which could increase pressure on his leadership of the Conservative Party
03:01and the country.