Tory Party suffer losses in first electoral test for Rishi Sunak

A polling station in Apsley as Dacorum Borough Council elections take place. Voters will head to the polls on Thursday across England in the local elections which are also likely to be the final set of polls before the next general election, with the results expected to give an indication of whether Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer could be on course for No 10. Picture date: Thursday May 4, 2023.

Rishi Sunak’s Tory Party were on course for heavy losses in the British prime minister’s first electoral test as the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in elections across England.

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.