The British had for the first time the opportunity, Thursday, May 5, to express their weariness with the government of Boris Johnson, during the first post-“partygate” electoral ballot, these evenings organized in full confinement in Downing Street . They did not hesitate during the local elections aimed at renewing thousands of municipal councils in England, Wales and Scotland: in power for twelve years, the Conservative Party suffered severe setbacks, losing its last strongholds Londoners and retreating to the lands traditionally acquired in the south of England.
The party thus lost, to the benefit of the Labor Party, control of Wandsworth, an affluent borough in south-west London, in its fold for forty-four years. reputed to be the borough Favorite of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, for her constant policy of low local taxes, Wandsworth had become in recent weeks a focal point for Labor activists, who wanted to bring down one of the last London councils still in blue (the color of the Tories) on the electoral map. The Conservatives also ceded to Labor the majority in the municipal council of Barnet (a borough in north-west London) and that of Westminster, in the heart of the capital. They also lost control of the local council of West Oxfordshire (a district known for its second homes for wealthy Londoners) or the big port city of Southampton.
Frustration of conservatives
“However, we did exactly what the inhabitants wanted – lower taxes, limit rent increases – but other subjects influenced their vote, including the attitude of Boris Johnson”, regretted Ravi Govindia, the head of the council of Wandsworth, Friday, May 6. Many other elected Tories have expressed their frustration with the Prime Minister, whose honesty is questioned, after he was disciplined by the police for « partygate », after he had long repeated not having participated in any party during confinement. Mr Johnson must “Look carefully in the mirror” after these local failures, underlined Friday morning Simon Bosher, elected conservative to the council of Portsmouth, another port city in the south-west of the country where the tories are now in difficulty.
The other major concern of voters was the cost of living crisis, against which the Johnson administration has so far taken little action. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is offering Britons just £200 (234 euros) off their energy bill as it doubled in April and is likely to rise further in the future. autumn, and that their purchasing power is reduced by inflation at 8% (it could reach 10%, the Bank of England warned on Thursday). Even among the Tories, some are calling for a tax on oil company profits – BP and Shell have published historic profits in recent days.
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