Thread by @BethRigby

Good morning! Here is a wrap of local elections trends (caveat 1000s seats still to go)
* Brexit backlash for Tories & Labour. Tories heavy losses (-380 seats/11 councils). But v bad for Labour too. Votes not coming to them. Ominous
* Lib Dem & independents big winners 1/

Tories suffer Brexit backlash. Lost 15 councils/ -270 seats (15 councils)
* LDs taking seats off Tories lost in 2015 with gains in SW (Bath, NE Somerset, Taunton)
* Bad night but not total bloodbath
* Pain in Tory shires, PM to Wales/Scot to address activists there 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2/

V bad night for Lab, esp in pro-Brexit north. Net loss of seats & councils
*At this point in cycle you’d expect govt losses to go to main opposition. But party struggled; won Trafford but lost control of Wirral, Bolsover Hartlepool
* Big blow 4 positioning as govt-in-waiting 3/

Winners
*Lib Dem bounce back from punishment meted out in 2015 when lost 100s seats to Tories. +270 seats +7 councils.
* Indies on march in Hartlepool, Melton, Boston, Thurrock. Gained control in Ashfield (Notts)
* Doesn’t bode well for Lab/Tory in EU elex (good for Farage) 4/

And the read across to SW1
* Plague on both their houses: will voter anger push Tories/Lab closer to working up Brexit deal?
* And as for GE? Doesn’t look so attractive this morning for either big party. LDs might win some MPs but it all points to another a hung parliament 5/