Local elections 2023: MPs clash over Tory and Labour performance in West Midlands

Two MPs have clashed over the performance of their parties in the local elections in the West Midlands.

The results from Thursday's vote saw the Conservatives lose control of 10 councils in the area.

Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, said the results showed "the people of our country do not want to vote Tory".

But Jack Brereton, the Conservative MP for Stoke South, said he saw it as Labour underperforming in the region.

"The reality is, Labour did underperform. We actually had one less seat in Stoke-on-Trent than we got in 2019," he told BBC Politics Midlands.

Labour took control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council while the Tories also lost East Staffordshire Borough Council to Labour and Stratford-on-Avon to the Liberal Democrats.

They gained Wyre Forest District Council, but saw seven others local authorities move to no overall control.

In Warwick, which saw the Greens finish as the largest party on the hung council, the Conservatives lost 13 seats to finish with just six councillors.

Ms Phillips said the results showed "the Tories were decimated" and told Mr Brereton "you should be embarrassed about how badly you performed".

In response he said: "You have to perform far better than this to get a majority in a general election and that is not what you are doing at the moment."

Challenged on the lack of Labour gains in Walsall and Dudley in the local elections, the Birmingham MP admitted the party had "work to do".

"I wouldn't be at all complacent about those seats," she said.

These elections were the first in England under new rules requiring voters to provide photo ID at polling stations.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, told Politics Midlands she was concerned the rules had put older people off from voting.

While Ellie Chowns, a Herefordshire Green Party councillor, said she knew of people who did not vote due to the new requirement.

"We should be making it easier for people to vote," she told the programme.

Mr Brereton said his party brought in the law as "there were issues in the past where we've had double voting and issues like that".

The Electoral Commission has acknowledged challenges with its rollout.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]