The early results for local elections have shown Labour and Liberal Democrats gaining seats while the Conservatives take big losses.

Yesterday’s local election was the first real test for Rishi Sunak since he became Prime Minister last year.

Asked if he took personal responsibility for the party’s performance, Mr Sunak said: “Well, if you look at the results we have only had a quarter of the results in so it is hard to draw firm conclusions. 

“We are actually making progress in key election battlegrounds… you mentioned the Labour Party, look, I am not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for their agenda. What people want us to do is focus on their priorities.” 

Labour took the first big gain of the night, winning over Plymouth, where no party had previously secured a majority, a result labelled ‘terrible’ by the PM.

Liberal Democrats also saw gains in Brentwood, Essex where they won two seats from the Conservatives. This means the Tories no longer have a majority in the council chamber.