The Conservative Party’s historic loss of Westminster Council, long regarded as a “crown jewel” among local authorities, was palpable among voters on the streets of central London on Friday.
Concerns about rising rents and pollution as well as the "partygate" scandal and the Tories' handling of the cost-of-living crisis were just some of the reasons people gave for their growing disapproval of Boris Johnson’s party.
But others said they still backed the prime minster after Labour clinched the council from the Tories, who had held it since its inception in 1964.
The result was a major blow to Mr Johnson’s standing in Britain, and also in what is known as “the Westminster bubble”. While the partygate scandal has been damaging to the Tories’ image across Britain, Westminster Council was hit by its own wave of uproar over a £6 million ($7.39 million) attraction at Marble Arch.
A giant grass-covered structure erected next to the famous monument on the edge of Hyde Park was initially supposed to attract visitors to the West End. But a string of scathing reviews after its unveiling labelled it as “ugly” and “London’s worst attraction”.
The scaffolding-and-turf peak was eventually torn down and removed but the £6 million price tag for the taxpayer lingered.. The council lost its reputation for sound financial management.
The authority covers a vast area of the capital extending from the River Thames up to St John’s Wood, taking in Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Soho, Covent Garden, Paddington and Marylebone and, of course, Westminster.
'London is changing'
People out and about on the streets of Westminster on Friday expressed dismay about the state of British politics.
Thomas Blackshaw, who has lived in the Westminster Council area for more than 20 years, said a Labour victory was “concerning” for him because he considers Labour leader Keir Starmer a socialist. “His task is simply to get the Conservatives out and then I think he will disappear,” he told The National.
Mr Blackshaw said the Tories had failed to appeal to voters in London because they appear to be out of touch with the issues faced by households.
“It’s to do with the population of London. It’s changing so fast and it’s multicultural,” he said.
“I think it’s entirely down to the cost of living. You don’t have to go far from here to get to south London, where there are rundown council estates and the people don’t have enough money. They can’t afford shopping or to pay their bills."
He said that many Conservative MPs who hold London seats look after “affluent, well-off and thriving” constituencies and are somewhat aloof to the problems blighting other areas of the city.
'Tories can't get votes with Johnson at helm'
Another man, who gave his name as Dan, said he had declined to vote in the local elections “because there’s nobody I could vote for and there’s no party that properly represents me”.
He accused the Conservatives and Labour of “smearing each other” instead of channelling time and resources into helping the British electorate.
He also said Labour’s victory in Westminster could not be taken as a sign that Tory voters across the country were flocking to support Labour. “The rest of the country don’t care about it. It’s the Westminster bubble and it does not resonate with people,” he told The National.
Mr Johnson’s days in Number 10 are numbered, Dan said. “I think the party will oust him. They want to get rid of him because they can’t get the votes.”
The prime minister on Friday admitted the election results were "tough" for his party.
One voter who declined to give his name said he was happy about Labour’s win in Westminster but admitted his confidence in Mr Starmer's leadership had hit rock bottom. While he viewed the former director of public prosecutions as a favourable alternative to his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, he said he felt “very concerned” about the future of the Labour Party with Mr Starmer at the helm.
“I don’t think Labour can win [a general election] with Keir. He’s too polite. He’s a barrister and not able to use the language Boris uses. He has won a lot [of seats] but still has a long way to go.
“Boris is a liar and a cheat and the sooner we get rid of him the better. He promises and does not deliver.”
'PM was thrown in the deep end'
But Sandi Corbett, a lifelong Conservative voter, said she was disappointed at seeing her local authority turn red for the first time, and expressed support for the prime minister despite his poor judgments, which led to the partygate saga.
She believes the scandal kept many traditional Tory supporters away from the ballot box on Thursday, and now some may regret their decision. “I think a lot of people are fed up with partygate and they didn’t vote for anyone and they will regret it now. That’s my feeling,” she said.
Ms Corbett said while she was initially upset when details about the lockdown-breaking gatherings in Number 10 were leaked, she has since got over it and believes Mr Johnson is the right person to lead his party and the country.
“They had a drink and they shouldn’t have done it,” she said.
“I think [the prime minister] does a lot of good things to be honest. He was thrown in the deep end with Brexit and Ukraine and I think he has handled it very well, and also the Covid-19 pandemic. I think it’s been very, very difficult for him. I think he’s done as good a job as he could do.”
