Tories facing night of turmoil: Labour hold onto Sunderland and take Hartlepool while Reform UK boast they're 'outperforming' Rishi's Conservatives and could BEAT them in some seats

Tories are facing a night of turmoil as results pour in from local elections across the country.

Labour are boasting of being 'on track' for power at Westminster after making gains in key council contests.

Sir Keir Starmer's party won in Hartlepool and made another gain in Thurrock as they enjoyed early success.

They also retained their majority in Sunderland by winning 18 out of the 25 seats being contested.

As well as the Tory-Labour fight, the performance of insurgent outfit Reform UK is also being keenly scrutinised throughout the night.

Reform beat the Tories in 16 out of the 25 seats in Sunderland, with leader Richard Tice crowing they were 'becoming the real opposition to Labour in Red Wall areas'.

The results from the 107 local authorities in England who held elections on Thursday could yet decide Rishi Sunak's political fate.

The PM is also braced for dismal results from mayoral contests and a parliamentary by-election.

Labour won nine of 12 seats up for grabs to seize control of Hartlepool council in what they boasted was a 'groundbreaking' victory showing Sir Keir is 'on track' to reach Downing Street. 

They also won control of Thurrock after starting the night as the second biggest party.

The Tories lost control of North East Lincolnshire in what was shaping up to be a dire set of results for Mr Sunak. 

As well an apparent squeeze on Tory votes in 'Red Wall' areas from Reform, the Liberal Democrats claimed they were gaining ground in traditional Conservative heartlands in southern England.

A party source said they were expecting positive results in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire. 

As well as the council elections, voting also took place on Thursday in 11 mayoral contests, 37 police and crime commissioner elections, and a parliamentary by-election in Blackpool South.

The Conservatives are predicted to lose to Labour in Blackpool South, which would be the seventh Westminster by-election the Tories have lost to Sir Keir's party with Mr Sunak as PM.

There are some concerns in Tory ranks that the party might even finish third behind Reform in the Lancashire seat.

Conservative rebels are poised to pounce on a dismal night for Mr Sunak by mounting a fresh effort to oust the PM from No10 in the coming days.

Tories fear they could lose up to half of the council seats they are defending.

Hartlepool has a symbolic importance for Sir Keir after Labour lost the parliamentary by-election there in 2021.

A Labour spokesman said: 'Winning back Hartlepool council is a groundbreaking moment after the disappointing results we saw here in 2021.

'Keir Starmer pledged to change the Labour Party after that result and today's win shows that this changed Labour Party is ready to deliver the change that communities like Hartlepool are crying out for.

'Making gains here shows that the party is on track to win a general election and is firmly back in the service of working people.'

Labour were also celebrating victory in Thurrock, which is seen as another key battleground ahead of the general election.

A spokesman said: 'This is exactly the kind of place we need to be winning to gain a majority in a general election. The people of Thurrock have sent the Conservatives a message that they want change.'

The final result in Sunderland was Labour 18, Liberal Democrats four and Conservatives three.

Although his party did not win one of the 25 seats being contested, Mr Tice hailed Reform's performance in a post on Twitter/X: 'We beat Tories in 16/25 Sunderland seats; we are now becoming the real opposition to Labour in Red Wall areas and this will grow.'

Cabinet minister Chris Heaton-Harris said the results in Sunderland showed 'if you vote Reform, you get Labour'.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told the BBC: 'It's a very straightforward equation for people at the next general election.

'If they want to vote Reform, they'll end up with Labour MPs, and they'll end up with a Labour government, and then they'll end up, probably, with everything they didn't want to vote for based on the profile of Reform voters.'

Labour retained control of South Tyneside, but lost at least seven seats to independents.

Sir Keir's party were fearing a local elections backlash over the Gaza conflict in some parts of the country.

Mayoral battles in Tees Valley and the West Midlands will also be a key barometer of Conservative and Labour fortunes ahead of the general election.

In London, Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to win an historic third term in City Hall despite a challenge by Tory rival Susan Hall over ULEZ and crime rates.

As polls closed tonight, Labour MP Pat McFadden MP, the party's national campaign coordinator, said: 'The most important election of the night is the historic by-election in Blackpool, caused by yet more Tory chaos and scandal.

'It's the only election today where voters have had the opportunity to directly reject Rishi Sunak's party in Westminster.

'It's going to be a long night and the full picture of results from local elections may not be clear until over the weekend, but we expect to see Labour gains that show we're making progress in the places we need to win the next general election.'

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also sought to pile the pressure on Mr Sunak, saying: 'Up and down the country, so many lifelong Conservative voters backed the Liberal Democrats today'.

Every voter in England and Wales was able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election before 10pm on Thursday.

There were 2,600 council seats in England up for grabs across 107 authorities.

Many of the seats were last fought in 2021 - a year in which the Conservatives did particularly well in local elections at a high point in Boris Johnson's premiership.

The Tory slump since then was demonstrated by the latest YouGov poll, published on Thursday, showing the party on 18 per cent with Labour on 44 per cent.

This was the lowest Conservative vote share of this Parliament, lower than under Liz Truss, when it sank to 19 per cent.

The survey of 2,010 British voters, conducted between April 30 and May 1, also showed the Tories only three percentage points ahead of Reform on 15 per cent.

As well as the mayoral contest in London between Mr Khan and Ms Hall, there are also likely to be close-run battles in Tees Valley and the West Midlands.

Polls suggested narrow contests between Conservative incumbents Ben Houchen and Andy Street, respectively, and their Labour rivals.

The result of the Blackpool South by-election is likely to be declared just before dawn breaks on Friday, with Labour tipped to take it from the Tories.

The parliamentary contest was prompted by the resignation of former Tory MP Scott Benton from the House of Commons after he was caught up in a lobbying sting.

The Conservatives won the Lancashire seat at the 2019 general election, with Mr Benton as the party's candidate, with a more than 3,500-vote majority. 

But Labour have overturned significantly greater Tory majorities in recent by-election contests in Kingswood, Wellingborough, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty.

On Thursday, Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata posed for pictures out campaigning in Chelsea, while Sir Keir went to vote in London with wife Victoria.

Other politicians gave a glimpse into their family lives, with Mr Houchen carrying his baby into a polling station in Tees Valley.

Both main parties sought to manage expectations ahead of polling day, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisting governments can get 'punished' in local elections.

He told Sky News: 'Tony Blair easily lost those amounts of councillors. 

'And, you know, David Cameron lost hundreds of councillors in the run up to the 2015 general election.

'So, you know, we are expecting to see significant losses. That often happens in local elections.

'But what we say to people is, look, this may be a moment when you want to express a view about the national picture.

'But actually the local services you depend on will be decided by how you vote.'

Meanwhile Labour said the mayoral system favours incumbents, though Sir Keir Starmer said he is 'hopeful' it will win the West Midlands contest.

Wins for both Mr Houchen and Mr Street and would offer the Tories a ray of light in what forecasts suggest could be a dismal set of results.

But experts warned the metro mayor races would be the 'least reliable indicator' of what could happen at a general election.

Both Mr Houchen and Mr Street received backing from Mr Johnson.

The PM's press secretary said the former premiers interventions were welcome, despite both candidates having appeared to have distanced themselves from their party allegiance throughout campaigning.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice told an Institute for Government event this week the Tories were emphasising the two mayoral battles 'because they think they might manage to win the contest and therefore they'll be able to cover whatever disasters happen elsewhere'.

'Because of the personal votes of these two, (these contests are) going to be the least reliable indicator,' he said.

'Equally, conversely here in London, Sadiq Khan will not do as well as the Labour Party would do in a general election because Sadiq has a negative personal vote. But this city is now so strong Labour, he's going to win anyway,' he said.

In a final message before polling stations open, Sir Keir said: 'Britain is, despite everything this Tory government has thrown at it, a great country.

'Its people, businesses, and communities continue to come together in the face of adversity. It is a strong nation of pride and potential, with boundless ambition for its family and its community.

'But it needs a government to match that ambition, and with a plan to unlock it. Today, you have a chance to vote for that change, and pass a verdict on fourteen years of decline. You can start to rebuild our country and take your community in a different direction.'

The Liberal Democrats, who have focused campaigning efforts in traditional Conservative areas, said polling day would be a moment for Mr Sunak to 'face the music'.

Sir Ed Davey said the results would be a 'damning verdict on record waiting lists, sewage destroying rivers, and the worst cost of living crisis in a generation'.

'The country knows the buck stops at the door of Downing Street,' he said.

Top Cabinet ministers rushed to Mr Sunak's defence ahead of the local election results.

Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the Commons, dispelled rumours of a leadership bid and pledged to stand by the PM.

She told MPs on Thursday: 'I too have read that I'm to be installed rather like a new boiler into No10 next week.

'And I have to say there is as much truth to these stories as there is in Labour's assurances to its business community that it isn't actually going to do the things it's been saying it's going to do, as it's promised its union paymasters.

'But let me say again, I support our PM and I will continue to support him after this weekend and beyond.'

On Wednesday, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted that the PM was safe regardless of the outcome of the local elections.

She told Sky News: 'I think there's a lot of noise being made by people who want to get attention but the PM has the full backing of the Cabinet, he has my full backing.'

Asked whether that would be the case even if the Conservatives suffered a drubbing on Thursday, Ms Badenoch said: 'I think that is right.'

Mr Sunak's press secretary did not deny a Bloomberg report that Mr Sunak told Tory staff that they could be part of the 'greatest comeback in history', in an admission of the scale of the challenge he faces.

The press secretary said: 'There is no doubt that we have work to do. It's obviously been a really tough time for the country with Covid and Ukraine and the impact of that on inflation.

'But... I can look back at the last week, we've done a massive defence announcement which Labour have not matched, which means that our country would be at risk under Labour.

'We've done a massive welfare intervention to address the unsustainable rise in the welfare bill. And we are clearly making some progress on tackling illegal immigration.'