Local elections 2023: Tories face more losses as MPs admit they're worried

The picture is firming up. We're getting more of a sense of what these local elections mean for the national political picture.

The BBC's projected national share is in; with Labour on 35%, the Conservatives on 26% and the Lib Dems on 20%.

The most clear conclusion we can draw already is the Conservatives are getting a thumping.

They have lost some big councils; Medway and East Staffordshire to Labour.

Stratford-upon-Avon, Dacorum and Windsor and Maidenhead to the Lib Dems.

They have lost control of several others; Brentwood, Maidstone, Tamworth and others.

The Conservatives are on course to lose several hundred seats - potentially over 1,000.

Before this election, senior Tories had talked about losing 1,000 seats.

But that was expectation management - four figure losses would be an extremely bad result. Tory MPs admit that privately and are worried.

The 26% projected national share is only just above the 25% the Conservatives got in 2013.

Speaking privately, some Conservatives are calling for a rethink of policy - particularly for tax cuts.

Others are peeved at the party operation and the lack of support they believe they got during the campaign.

Then there's this from a figure close to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, to my colleague Chris Mason: "Rishi has no option but to own these results. He has been chancellor or prime minister for virtually all of the last three years and it was he and his supporters who forced Boris and then Liz out of office in order to install him in Downing Street."

This isn't the sort of rebellion that we saw last year, that brought down Mr Johnson and Ms Truss. But after a peaceful period in the Tory party, grievances are being aired again.

This has been a good set of elections for Labour. But how good?

Some Tories are arguing that the bad night for them doesn't translate into an uptick in support for Labour under Sir Keir Starmer.

But Labour are making gains - in part based on the collapse of the Conservative vote.

Strategists in Labour HQ are particularly pleased they are doing well in the party's key targets; like Stoke, Blackpool, Teesside and Plymouth.

The party is claiming far and wide that the results it's seen so far put it on course to win the next general election with a majority.

That is based on an eight point poll lead - and makes assumptions the party will do well in Scotland, Wales and London - none of which are voting today.

But Labour is very happy with the results so far.

The Liberal Democrats are making gains too - on top of a strong result in 2019 when these seats were last contested.

Dacorum, Stratford-upon-Avon and Windsor and Maidenhead.

The Lib Dems often do better in local than national elections.

But the party is saying that many Conservative MPs in the south of England will be nervous about their seats. The likes of Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Nadhim Zahawi.

Remember the Lib Dems don't always do as well in general elections as they do in locals. But they have had a good night.

The Greens are also seeing some results they are delighted with.

As well as the headline gains - some quite remarkable stories are emerging.

In East Hertfordshire - the Greens could be the largest party soon. That's quite something given than in 2019, the Conservatives had 43 seats. They've lost 25 seats and the Greens have won 16 so far.

Different parties are benefitting from the fall in the Conservative vote.