Tory leader looks to council election gains

Conservative gains in the elections will bolster the position of Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith following the resignation of frontbench trade spokesperson Crispin Blunt.

Prior to the close of the polls on the elections Mr Blunt launched a scathing attack on his party leader. However, Mr Duncan Smith sought to concentrate on the "spectacular success" that the Tories had achieved in the local council elections.

Conservative Party Chairman Theresa May said the resignation of Mr Blunt was “no surprise” as he was at odds with the party’s leadership.

With 320 of the 340 council elections declared by Friday afternoon the Tories had gained over 540 seats in the local council elections, which is a much better performance than many pollsters had anticipated.

Labour, though, have performed dismally in the local elections than many expected, losing over 800 seats and control of nearly 30 councils, ceding many of these to Conservative control.

The Liberal Democrats were pleased with a gain of almost 190 seats, which equates to an almost 30% increase in the party's share of the vote.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy warned that his party had achieved notable results in several key Conservative constituencies: “Tory MPs should take note of the fact that the Liberal Democrats are winning in the constituencies of Theresa May, Virginia Bottomley and Michael Howard”.

Mr Duncan Smith pointed out that Labour had experienced their worst election results since the winter of discontent in 1979, claiming that the Conservatives were now “the largest party in local government.”

Labour will be left with the solace that the election performance may in part have been due to a "Baghdad backlash".

(SP)