Theresa May could lose more than half of her London boroughs with the Conservatives facing the “fight of their lives” in the capital at this year’s local elections, according to a Tory peer.
In a dire set of predictions for the Prime Minister, Conservative peer and election expert Robert Hayward said it is likely that the party could lose two of its nine councils in London in spring, and could be fighting to cling on to a further three.
Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Lord Hayward, who has previously advised Tory HQ, said the Conservatives could even be defeated by Labour in Margaret Thatcher’s former local borough, Barnet Council.
Read more
- May facing Commons defeat over counting students as immigrants
- Theresa May has proven that she’s in it for the long haul
- Patience of British firms 'wearing thin' on Brexit, May warned
- Theresa May says 2018 will bring 'renewed pride' amid Brexit divisions
- Top government adviser quits amid Brexit row
- Theresa May was right to drop the fox hunting vote
- Theresa May 'abandons plan to let MPs overturn fox hunting ban'
He added that it is “impossible to call” Kensington and Chelsea after the fire at Grenfell Tower last year. Currently the council is dominated by Conservatives, but it is likely they will face a considerable backlash after the widely criticised handling of the tragedy.
He said: “Nationally the Conservatives appear to be getting themselves back together, so they may be in a better position come May to ease the loses.
“But they are going to have the fight of their lives to hold on to Wandsworth and Westminster. On the evidence, it looks like a bad night for them and a good night for Jeremy Corbyn in London.”
The comments come after the Labour leader told The Independent in an interview that he was hoping to make gains in the elections in May, in which all of the 32 London boroughs will be contested.
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
-
1/41 2 January 2018
Members of National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) hold a demonstration against rail fare increases outside Kings Cross Railway Station, London. Average rail ticket prices across Britain have risen by 3.4 percent, the biggest increase to rail fares for five years
EPA
-
2/41 1 January 2018
A man takes part in the Mappleton Bridge Jump, an annual unofficial tradition where those willing jump from Okeover bridge on New Years Day into the River Dove
PA
-
3/41 31 December 2017
Passing clouds creating beautiful colours in Wimbledon on the last sunset of the year
Rex
-
4/41 30 December 2017
One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out on the ninth floor of a building in Joiner Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter
mcr_cabbie/Twitter
-
5/41 29 December 2017
Heavy snow, rain, thunderstorms and wind have caused disruption across much of Britain as a band of "severe" weather rolled across the country. Travelers were warned of dangerous roads conditions, with Highways England advising road users to pack shovels, food and water if they do venture out. The weather didn't just affect travel however, camels on a farm near Richmond, North Yorkshire and various other animals are having to deal with the cold weather
PA
-
6/41 28 December 2017
Alastair Cook celebrates after reaching his double-century during the third day of the fourth Ashes cricket test match
Reuters
-
7/41 27 December 2017
Sheep are driven to another field in the Cotswolds after overnight snow caused travel disruptions across parts of the UK
PA
-
8/41 26 December 2017
Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his third goal, Tottenham's fifth, during the Boxing day Premier League match against Southampton at Wembley. He broke Alan Shearer’s record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year, scoring 39 from 36 matches. Kane also finished 2017 as Europe’s leading scorer ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who has 54 goals from 63 appearances in all competitions. Harry Kane has 56 from 52.
AFP/Getty
-
9/41 25 December 2017
Swimmers get out of the water after taking part in the Christmas Day Serpentine swim in Hyde Park, London
Reuters
-
10/41 24 December 2017
Stuart Broad of England bowls during a nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. The fourth Ashes test starts on Boxing Day
Getty
-
11/41 23 December 2017
Staff members console each other as they survey the damage after a fire destroyed a number of buildings at London Zoo. An aardvark has died and four meerkats are missing. Eight zoo workers have been treated by paramedics after a desperate attempt to save the animals from the blaze, which broke out in a petting area.
-
12/41 22 December 2017
Druids, pagans and revellers gather in the centre of Stonehenge, hoping to see the sun rise, as they take part in a winter solstice ceremony at the ancient neolithic monument of Stonehenge. Despite a forecast for cloud and rain, a large crowd gathered at the famous historic stone circle, to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The event is claimed to be more important in the pagan calendar than the summer solstice, because it marks the 're-birth' of the Sun for the New Year.
Getty Images
-
13/41 21 December 2017
Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson in the presence of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May sign a treaty between the Republic of Poland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on cooperation in the field of defense and security
EPA
-
14/41 20 December 2017
A protester wears a 'STOP BREXIT' hat outside the Palace of Westminster
Reuters
-
15/41 19 December 2017
The Choristers of St Paul's rehearse for a series of services and concerts over the Christmas season at St Paul's Cathedral in London
REUTERS
-
16/41 18 December 2017
Joe Root, the England captain is interviewed after Australia regained the Ashes. England lost by an innings and 41 run runs in the third test at the WACA in Perth
Getty
-
17/41 17 December 2017
Photos of Richard Ratcliffe and his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been jailed in Iran, on display at their home in north London. Mr Ratcliffe says he believes there is "still a chance" she may be released from an Iranian prison in time for a dream Christmas together.
PA
-
18/41 16 December 2017
Oxford Street in London is filled with shoppers with 8 shopping days before Christmas
Rex
-
19/41 15 December 2017
Jonny Bairstow of England headbutts his helmet to celebrate his century during day two of the Third Test match in the 2017/18 Ashes Series between Australia and England at the WACA in Perth, Australia. Bairstow was embroiled in controversy at the beginning of the tour after lightly headbutting Australian opening batsman Cameron Bancroft in an exchange in a bar
-
20/41 14 December 2017
People at the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service
PA
-
21/41 13 December 2017
Wax figures of Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wearing a Christmas Jumper at Madame Tussauds
EPA
-
22/41 12 December 2017
Victims and family of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, Nicholas Burton (left), Sandra Ruiz (second right), Karim Mussilhy (right) and a girl who asked not be named (second left), hand in a petition to Downing Street, asking for an overhaul of the public inquiry.
PA
-
23/41 11 December 2017
A homeless man on the streets of Manchester. Many people are spending the night on the streets in freezing temperatures as the Met Office continues to issue weather warnings across the country. The Shelter charity has said that more than 300,000 are now homeless across Britain, equating to the population of a city the size of Newcastle
Getty
-
24/41 10 December 2017
Pedestrians walk over the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral pictured in the background as snow falls
AFP/Getty Images
-
25/41 9 December 2017
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, left, and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, right, with interpreter at centre, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran. Johnson is expected to discuss the fate of detained British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government.
AP
-
26/41 8 December 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker address a press conference at the European Commission in Brussels
AFP/Getty Images
-
27/41 7 December 2017
Nick Dunn, one of the so-called Chennai Six is greeted by his sister Lisa as he arrives at Newcastle Airport after being released from India after serving four years in jail on weapons charges.
PA
-
28/41 6 December 2017
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) greets Nigeria's ambassador to the United Kingdom, George Adesola Oguntade (C), and his wife, Modupe Oguntade, during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in central London
AFP/Getty
-
29/41 5 December 2017
800 abandoned buckets appear at Potters Field Park, London, in a moving tribute to the 800 children who die every day, on average, due to a lack of clean water and sanitation. Just one bucket in the installation, part of WaterAid’s #Untapped appeal, could hold almost enough safe drinking water for one child for a week. Every £1 donated to the #Untapped appeal until 31st January 2018 will be matched by the UK Government.
WaterAid / Ollie Dixon
-
30/41 4 December 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May smiles to European Union President Donald Tusk as she attends Brexit negotiations' meetings
AFP/Getty
-
31/41 3 December 2017
The last Supermoon of 2017 sets over Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
-
32/41 2 December 2017
The crowd reacts as England's Dawid Malan fails to stop a boundary during the first day of the second Ashes test match
REUTERS
-
33/41 1 December 2017
England manager, Gareth Southgate, jokes with Belgium manager, Roberto Martinez, after their sides were drawn in the same group during the Final Draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
Getty Images
-
34/41 30 November 2017
A supporter of Lauri Love, who is accused of hacking into U.S. government computers, wears a Donald Trump mask as he protests in front of the Royal Courts of Justice in London
AP
-
35/41 29 November 2017
A sign reading 'We want our future back' is displayed in front of Westminster during an Anti-Brexit Demonstration
Rex Features
-
36/41 28 November 2017
This year's innovative V&A Christmas Tree, The Singing Tree, is shaped from a cloud of floating words, contributed by visitors, and is created by leading stage and performance designer Es Devlin.
Rex Features
-
37/41 27 November 2017
David Jones and Margaret Tyler wait outside Kensington Palace after hearing about the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Rex
-
38/41 26 November 2017
Sailors from the Royal Navy perform the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace for the first time in its 357-year history
PA
-
39/41 25 November 2017
Arlene Foster gives her leader's speech during the annual DUP party conference at La Mon House
Getty Images
-
40/41 24 November 2017
Ex-England footballer Michael Owen prior to riding in a charity race at Ascot racecourse
Rex
-
41/41 23 November 2017
Shoppers pass a promotional sign for 'Black Friday' sales discounts on Oxford Street
AFP/Getty
Asked what he would like to see in the local elections, Mr Corbyn replied: “Well, the biggest elections are going to be in the main cities, particularly London, Birmingham, Newcastle – we’re going to be working very hard on them. In London particularly, they are going to focus on housing.
“But it’s also emphasising the way local authorities have been so underfunded by this Government, that they are all facing real difficulties that we are going to emphasise in the election. This is the product of seven years of austerity.
“I’m hoping to do very, very well, but I’m not putting a figure on it,” he said.
The last time all the London boroughs were up for grabs, in 2014, Labour gained three councils while the Conservatives under David Cameron lost two, leaving them with nine in the capital.
- More about:
- Robert Hayward
- local elections 2017
Reuse content