Your reaction recap – what we’ve heard todaypublished at 12:47 British Summer Time
Seher Asaf
Live reporter
This is the moment successful Labour Party candidate Helen Godwin won the mayoral race in the West of England Combined Authority
The local election results brought with them a flurry of reaction.
Throughout this morning, we’ve been hearing from party leaders, current and former MPs, political party spokespeople and analysts.
Here’s a quick glance at what we’ve heard:
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose party made big gains, has called England’s local election results “unprecedented”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer accuses Farage of offering “easy solutions” in the election. He reiterates his vow to “go further and faster” to make change happen and says he won’t make the “same old excuses” for Labour’s losses.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, whose party suffered losses, says results were a “bloodbath” for her party. Writing in the Telegraph she adds that the Conservatives will work to rebuild the public’s trust in them.
Munira Wilson, education spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, says she believes her party is on course to overtake the Conservatives in the next general election
Shadow treasury chief Richard Fuller warns that voters can sense politicians don’t have answers to their problems. He adds that Farage has been “clear” in his desire to “destroy the Conservative Party” rather than form a pact with them.
Former Conservative leader of Derbyshire County Council, Barry Lewis – who lost his seat to Reform in the election – says he still backs Badenoch and hopes that she stays as leader.
Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, says her party “inherited a very bad hand of cards”, calling the results a “chilling reminder” of why Labour needs to “go further and faster” to deliver what people want.
Roger Gough, the former Conservative leader of Kent Council, says the party needs to establish itself as one that “has serious answers to the challenges facing this country”.
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