British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party were both punished in a local election by English voters who blame them for the deadlock over Brexit, partial results showed on Friday.
With almost half of English local council vote results declared, the Conservative Party lost 433 councillors and the Labour Party had lost 81 councillors, according to a BBC tally.
The results are another display of how Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union has split the nation beyond traditional party lines, leaving Labour and the Conservatives deeply divided.
The Liberal Democrats won 301 councillors, independent candidates won 215 council seats and Greens, which also backs a second referendum, gained 38, the partial results showed.