Local elections live: ‘Labour are toast’ warns former Blair adviser ahead of polling day after net zero clash

Tony Blair’s former political secretary has warned that “Labour are toast” at the polls tomorrow.

John McTernan said there’s “nothing that can be done” in the next 24 hours that can drastically change Labour’s fate in local elections.

He told Times Radio: “You look at all the focus groups, if you go to any of them, what do people associate the Labour Party with? Taking winter fuel payments away from pensioners.

“Why are they attacking pensioners? Why are they now attacking the disabled? That’s what people are saying.

“It’s on the doorstep in Runcorn. It’s on the doorstep everywhere. So Labour have crazy conditions. This election has nothing to do with net zero.”

Millions of voters across England will head to the polls on Thursday as several different elections take place.

Here is an outline of which ones will happen tomorrow:

Voters will go to the polls in 23 areas across England to vote for their local councillors.

A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs.

Mayoral elections are also taking place in six of the areas seeing local elections.

Two of these, in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull, and East Yorkshire, will be seeing these for the first time.

Constituents in Runcorn and Helsby will also vote in the first by-election of this parliament.

The vote was triggered by former Labour MP Mike Amesbury’s decision to stand down rather than face a recall petition after he received a 10-week prison sentence – suspended on appeal – for punching a man.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

The Conservatives have been accused of trying to erase their worst election defeat on record from history, after suggesting Ofcom should scrub it from its records.

Top Tory Kevin Hollinrake called on ministers to remove the broadcaster’s use of the 2019 European Parliament elections from its recent publication, entitled: “Evidence of past electoral support and evidence of current support ahead of the various elections taking place on 1 May 2025.”

The publication reminds Tories of a devastating night for the party, when it secured just 9.1 per cent of the vote, behind Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party – now Reform – on 31.6 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 20.3 per cent of the vote.

Shadow minister Mr Hollinrake asked culture minister Sir Chris Bryant: “If he will have discussions with Ofcom on removing its use of historic data from European Parliamentary elections in its most recent publication.”

Sir Chris highlighted Ofcom’s independence and rejected the call.

A Reform UK spokesman said: “It’s frankly embarrassing that the Conservatives are trying to hide their most humiliating election defeat. One has to wonder if they will be asking for the 2024 General Election result to be erased from history next.”And Labour MP Terry Jermy said: “It seems like they wish to erase the history books in which they now seem destined to belong.”

The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:

The Tories have all but given up on campaigning in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Labour has claimed.

A spokesman for the prime minister said he has been campaigning across the country in the run up to the local elections, but confirmed he has not visited Runcorn himself.

Despite Sir Keir not campaigning in the race to replace Mike Amesbury, who quit after being filmed drunkenly assaulting a constituent, Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “The prime minister has been campaigning throughout this period, we have a great candidate in Runcorn, Karen Shore.

“Meanwhile, the Tories have all but given up campaigning there in the latest sign of their pact with Reform.”

Kemi Badenoch’s official spokesman said they were not targeting the “Labour safe seat” but still urged constituents to “vote Conservative”.

Downing Street did not say whether the Tony Blair Institute had been asked by the Government to issue a clarification to the former prime minister’s attack on “irrational” net -zero strategies.

Just minutes before PMQs began, Sir Tony said the government’s net-zero approach is the “right one”, after he criticised any strategy that limits fossil fuels in the short term as “doomed to fail”.

Asked whether the Government had asked the institute to send out a follow-up statement on Wednesday backing its net-zero goal, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t get into private conversations.”

He added: “There is lots of support for the Government’s approach to net zero… I think there is a broad consensus on the Government’s approach to net zero.”

Sir Keir Starmer does not agree with Sir Tony Blair that there is “hysteria” in the international debate on climate change, Downing Street indicated.

Asked whether the Prime Minister thought there was hysteria in the conversation on net zero, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our approach to net zero is clear. it is families up and down this country that will pay the price for the UK’s dependence on fossil fuel markets.”

He said the Government’s net zero policy would help with jobs growth and investing in the industries of the future.

Pressed on whether Sir Keir thought there was hysteria in the tone of the international debate on climate, the spokesman said: “I don’t think so, I mean I think we’re taking a very practical and pragmatic approach to this here in the UK.”