UK’s Johnson: election night was a tough one for some Conservatives

LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said local election results had made it a tough night for the ruling Conservative Party in some parts of the country.

“We’ve had a tough night in some parts of the country, but on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you’re still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains,” he told reporters on Friday according to Reuters.

had made it a tough night for the ruling Conservative Party in some parts of the country.

“We’ve had a tough night in some parts of the country, but on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you’re still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains,” he told reporters on Friday according to Reuters.

Britain´s governing Conservatives suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds, according to results announced Friday that will pile more pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid ethics scandals and a worsening economic picture.

Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but were also an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the next national election, which must be held by 2024.

The main opposition Labour Party, which has been out of power nationally since 2010, won control of Wandsworth, Barnet and Westminster, three London boroughs long held by the Conservatives.

Johnson´s party also lost ground to the centrist Liberal Democrats in the Conservatives´ southern England heartlands, where many middle-class voters are opposed to Brexit – a cause Johnson championed – and dismayed by rule-breaking and sexual misconduct allegations swirling around Johnson and other senior Tories.

The election also comes after months of turmoil for Johnson, in which he became the first prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law in office. He was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

“The issue of `party gate´ kept coming up as a reason why many Conservative supporters were staying at home or were switching to a protest vote this time,” said Conservative lawmaker David Simmonds according to AP.