Some numbers from the local council elections held two days ago, in which the Tories lost control of every council they had formerly controlled. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats with whom the Tories had a coalition (2010-15), has started to echo Nigel Farage’s line that the Tories are out of power permanently. The parties’ shares of the council election votes:

Reform UK – 30%

Labour – 20%

Lib Dems – 17%

Tories – 15%

If the swing in Runcorn – where Reform UK’s candidate was elected by a majority of six votes, the smallest margin in any general election in the UK – were repeated at the next general election, Reform UK would have 420 MPs. The minimum number of MPs of a single party needed to form a government is 326.

From a BBC report:

He (Farage) warned civil servants working on climate change or diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, or anyone who “thinks they can go on working from home, I think you better all be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly”.

(end of BBC clip.)

There is talk of Reform UK councils bringing in auditors to examine contracts and efficiency programmes being started. If Reform UK can show major achievements in their running of councils before the next general election (2029 at the latest) the likelihood of them forming the next government will increase markedly.

All together now, Happy days are here again (1929) which ends with this:

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, let’s sing a song of cheer again
Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!

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