The British had the first opportunity, on Thursday, 5 May, to express their disenchantment with Boris Johnson’s government, during the first post-“Partygate” election ballot, these evenings held in complete confinement in Downing Street. . He did not hesitate during local elections aimed at renewing thousands of municipal councils in England, Wales and Scotland: after twelve years in power, the Conservative Party suffered a severe setback, losing its last stronghold of Londoners and traditionally They retreated to the lands they had acquired in the south. of England.

The party thus lost for forty-four years to the control of Wandsworth, a prosperous borough in south-west London, to the advantage of the Labor Party. reputed as Town A favorite of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Wandsworth had become a focal point in recent weeks for labor activists who wanted to bring down one of the previous London councils still out of the blue. (colour of Tories) ) On the electoral map the Conservatives also handed over a majority to the city council of Barnet (a borough in north-west London) and Westminster in the center of the capital to Labor. They lost control of the local council of West Oxfordshire (a district known for its second homes to wealthy Londoners) or the larger port city of Southampton.

Conservatives’ despair

“While we did what residents wanted – lower taxes, increased border rents – but other topics influenced their vote, including Boris Johnson’s attitude”Ravi Govindia, President of Wandsworth Council, expressed regret on Friday, May 6. Several other elected Tories have expressed their dismay with the prime minister, whose integrity has been questioned, as he was disciplined by the police for “partying”, as he did not attend any party during long imprisonment. Repeated after not taking. mr johnson wanted “look carefully in the mirror” After these local failures were underscored on Friday morning, Simon Bowser, the Conservative elected to the council of Portsmouth, another port town in the country’s southwest where the Tories are now in trouble.

The second major concern of voters was the cost of living crisis, against which the Johnson administration has so far taken little action. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is offering Britons just £200 (234 euros) off their energy bill as it doubled in April and is likely to increase further in the future. 8% (it could reach 10%, the Bank of England warned on Thursday). Even among the Tories, some are demanding a tax on oil company profits – BP and Shell have published historic gains in recent days.

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