First electoral test for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sees Tories taking heavy losses in the local elections

As the votes were counted into the early hours of Friday morning it looked clear that Rishi Sunak’s Tories were on course for heavy losses in the local elections. In the Prime Minister’s first electoral test Labour and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in elections across England.

In Greater Manchester, at time of writing, only one full result was in, Salford - as expected it remained comfortably in Labour control. Some 21 of the council's 60 seats were up for grabs, but with Labour holding an unassailable majority the party was never in danger of losing its hold on the city.

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Blackfriars and Trinity became the first all-female ward in Salford's history, after Emma Cammell held the seat for Labour. The most heavily anticipated result overnight is expected in Bolton, where there remains a possibility Labour could take overall control.

The early results came after the contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said “regrettably” some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

Elsewhere in the country, Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration – a result branded “terrible” by Government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer – while Tamworth and Brentford fell to no overall control.

Labour replaced the Tories as the largest party in Hartlepool and Worcester.

The Liberal Democrats appeared confident in Windsor and Maidenhead, which would be a shock defeat for the Tories.

Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term “blip”, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be