Local elections 2023: Historic win as Greens march into rural Tory areas

The Green Party is making strong gains in the English local elections as they take seats in traditional Tory areas.

The party has secured sole control of an English council for the first time, in Mid Suffolk.

The council was previously run by a minority Conservative administration.

The Greens have already passed their target of 100 new councillors across England, with dozens of results still to come.

In East Herts, the party gained 18 seats, becoming the largest party in a hung council, with the Tories losing 27 seats.

The party has also taken seats from Labour, but Brighton and Hove - where the Greens are the largest party - has yet to declare. Labour is hoping to overtake them as the largest party on that council.

Green co-leader Carla Denyer said her party were benefiting from "a deep dislike of the Tories and Starmer's uninspiring Labour".

Her co-leader Adrian Ramsay said victory in Mid Suffolk would "pave the way for electing the first Green MP in the area as well to really represent people on a national stage as well as locally".

The Greens are building on their strong performance in 2019, the last time these seats were contested, when they gained 194 seats.

The party had about 540 councillors before voting began on Thursday.

The Greens have traditionally performed best in urban areas, such as Brighton and Bristol, but the party also concentrated its campaigning firepower on rural, traditional Tory areas at these elections.

In Mid Suffolk, the party has had a presence on the council for 20 years and was the only non-Conservative option on the ballot paper in more than a third of the seats up for election.

They campaigned hard on local issues, including opposing plans for a big new housing development.

The Tory leader of Mid Suffolk District Council Suzie Morley lost her seat to Green candidate Nick Hardingham, saying her party had lost its reputation for economic competence because of "what happened before Christmas".

"The last six months have left a nasty taste in a lot of people's mouths," she added.

The Green Party has also made gains at neighbouring East Suffolk Council, where all 55 seats have been up for grabs.

In February, Ms Denyer told the BBC the growth of climate change as a political issue was "definitely a factor" in the Green Party's recent success at the ballot.

"But I think that it's also true that people get a Green councillor in their local area and they like what they see," she added.

Analysis of key ward results by elections expert Sir John Curtice appears to bear this out.

The party's vote has increased in wards where they performed best in 2019, suggesting they have an ability to concentrate their vote in certain areas, which is needed for success in general elections.