Thread by @thetimes

🔎 Analysis: "The Conservatives’ defeat in Wandsworth is a historic moment that speaks to the fracturing of Boris Johnson’s electoral coalition," writes @georgegrylls #LocalElections2022 thetimes.co.uk/article/thatch…

Wandsworth has been a Conservative stronghold for the past 44 years with one of the lowest rates of council tax in London. The leafy borough stretches from Battersea to Putney and was Margaret Thatcher’s “favourite council”

In an attempt to keep residents happy ahead of the local elections, the borough announced that it would live up to its Thatcherite principles and cut council tax this year – the only local authority in London to do so

But the local Conservative party’s attempts to distance itself from the party antics in Westminster have failed as Labour secured overall control, beating the Tories into second place with 35 seats to 22

The Tories used green leaflets instead of blue and renamed themselves the “local Conservatives” on ballot papers, but were unable to defy the political gravity of a party trailing six points behind Labour in the national polls

In the run-up to the vote, Labour tried to play down expectations, insisting the council was not a large target. Labour spinners pointed to the fact that Sir Keir Starmer had not visited the borough on the campaign trail, even if his deputy Angela Rayner was there last week

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