England elections 2024 Round up: Major defeat for Sunak as Tory mayor Andy Street loses power – the full perspective
Editorial 05 May 2024
The Sunday newspaper front pages mostly focus on the England election results, as more results trickled out on Saturday – including the shock Labour win in the West Midlands mayor and Sadiq Khan winning a third term as London mayor.
Many of the right-leaning newspapers suggest the results highlight the dire state the Conservative Party is in right now, and contend with a possible Tory wipeout at the upcoming general election.
It is an election for incumbent in most cases, and Labour benefited from the Tory’s running a very national campaign. there is sure to be a backlash for the Tory councillors who will feel the Downing Street abandoned them.
A key point that a lot of papers have ignored this weekend is Labour is vulnerable. 20 councillors, who resigned from the party last month in protest of the genocide in Gaza, all got elected as independents. Which shows, you don’t need Labour to win on a local level.
One thing is for sure from the results of England elections 2024, that this is a pivotal point in the two big parties, and if the big two political parties are going to survive they must have a shake up in policies.
Other news making the headlines this weekend
A couple of tabloids lead on royal news, including disgraced Prince Andrew and the results of a popularity poll regarding King Charles.
Many of the back pages lead on Manchester City’s and Arsenal’s latest Premier League wins. Liverpool are in action on Sunday and must win if they have any hopes of winning the title.
A Round up of Today’s Sunday papers
Tory Politicians are on a weekend of damage control after the English local elections dealt a major defeat for Sunak. Whilst Labour are taking a ‘big sigh of relief’ – Had the Tories been any stronger, they would have been questioning Starmer’s leadership.
‘Double blow to Sunak and the Tories’
The Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph reports the mayoral results have dealt the prime minister a double blow to Sunak and the Tories and have killed off any hopes of reviving the party’s fortunes- ahead of the general election. The paper calls Saturday a ‘dire day’ for the party.
PM Rishi Sunak will attempt to get back on the front foot in the coming week, with a series of announcements on getting people back to work, clamping down on anti-Semitic hate speech, and deporting migrants.
Home Secretary James Cleverley tells the paper he’s convinced voters who have “drifted” away from the Conservatives will return in time for the general election.
The Observer
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer tells the Observer that Rishi Sunak must call a general election without delay after the “disastrous” local and mayoral election results. The Labour leader says the UK needs to be released from the “purgatory” of Sunak’s “zombie government”, and that the results showed that people turned out to vote for change.
The Sunday Express
“We’re doomed”, is what the Sunday Express has the Tories saying, in its headline. It says the loss of the West Midlands mayor has deepened Conservative woes, plunging the party into “panic”.
The Sunday Mirror
For the Sunday Mirror, the local elections results couldn’t have sent a louder or clearer message – Britain wants the Tories to “pack their bags”. The paper says it is time for change and time for Labour to deliver it.
Away from the elections, the other papers are still dominated by domestic news.
‘Labour pledge to ban swords’
The Sunday People
The Sunday People says Labour has pledged to ban swords, following the murder of 14-year-old Dabiel Anjorin. The schoolboy was fatally stabbed with a sword in London as he left his home to walk to school.
Knife crime in London has significantly increased since Sadiq Khan became mayor and Police cuts and Ulez distraction has led to Sadiq Khan taking his eye off the ball.
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times reveals that a huge investigation into the suspected murders of Afghan civilians by a rogue SAS unit was actually prompted by the squadron’s commanding officer.
The unnamed soldier – one of the army’s most senior Special Forces officers – reported to police that troops under his command had committed war crimes by murdering prisoners in Afghanistan, it says.
Emails from the ensuing inquiry have now come to light suggesting other senior officers were aware of the killings but failed to report them, the paper says.
The Telegraph
The Telegraph reports the US shared evidence with the UK, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that strongly suggested “high likelihood” the virus had come from a Chinese lab leak – and had not just jumped between animals and humans.
One former official who worked on the intelligence reports told the paper the evidence was “gobsmacking”. However, ever since ‘the Weapons of mass destruction memo’ the Brits are always wary of ‘gobsmacking evidence’ coming from the United States.
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday’s front page focuses on a poll about King Charles. The poll suggests most Britons (who took part in the polling) believe he’s doing a good job. The paper says the poll should be seen as an increase in support for the monarchy.