Counting is underway across the UK for local elections and the Tory mood north of the border not looking positive.
Here in the Liverpool City Region The Conservatives are eyeing a number of scalps on Wirral which could shake up overall control, but in Scotland Conservative hopes do not appear to be high. Scottish Conservatives are reportedly bracing for losses tonight as votes roll in, with fingers being already being pointed at PM Boris Johnson.
As reported by the BBC, a Scottish Conservative source suggested tonight's outcome in Scotland "is not looking good" predicting "heavy losses". They said that this was "all down to Partygate and Boris" with the Government the centre of a number of scandals in recent month.
READ MORE: Local Elections 2022 - Results for Merseyside and National votes
The PM and Chancellor were both hit with fixed penalty fines last month after being found to have been at gathering at Downing Street that broken Covid-19 rules. The PM has since apologised. In the lead up to the election, Tory sources said they anticipated heavy losses and Labour tried to downplay the extent they were reported to win.
Expectations are also being managed by Labour after early suggestions the Party could be on course for a successful night. Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said Labour was proud of its positive campaign but warned it wasn’t expecting massive gains.
She said: “It’s going to be a long night and there will be ups and downs - we hold the majority of the seats up for election in England, so never expected big gains. These results will show the progress we have made thanks to Keir’s leadership since the disastrous 2019 election result. Labour is a renewed and confident party, making headway in England, Scotland and Wales.”
The mood has been slightly more buoyant for the Lib Dems. Leader Sir Ed Davey said his party was hopeful of gains in the so-called Blue Wall - the Tory heartlands in the south of England.
Counting is currently underway at three sites across the city region. The hotly contested Wirral seats will declare a winner in the coming hours with a third of Sefton's seats also set to be confirmed.
Follow the ECHO's live coverage of all the counts here.
