Edelman Local Elections 2018 Analysis

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LOCAL ELECTIONS May 2018

Will Walden Managing Director, Public Affairs Will Walden Managing Director, Public Affairs

Will leads the Edelman Public Affairs practice in the UK and has extensive experience at the top of Government, after five years as communications director, official spokesman and chief political advisor to Foreign Secretary and former Mayor of London Boris Johnson. He spent four CityEdelman Hall where he oversaw for and the 2012 London Olympics, andat Willyears leadsatthe Public Affairs communications practice in the UK has extensive experience led Johnson's transitionafter teamfive at the Foreign Office, as well asdirector, advising him on spokesman theMr top of Government, years as communications official communications andadvisor policy during the EUSecretary referendum and chief political to Foreign andcampaign. former Mayor of London Boris Johnson. He spent four years at City Hall where he oversaw communications for the 2012 London Will providesand senior to a range of clients on at government policy and as communications Olympics, led counsel Mr Johnson's transition team the Foreign Office, well as advising strategy. For more information, pleaseduring get in touch viareferendum will.walden@edelman.com him on communications and policy the EU campaign. Will provides senior counsel to a range of clients on government policy and communications strategy. For more information, please get in touch via will.walden@edelman.com

ELECTIONS OVERVIEW

Hold the front page. Voters went to the polls yesterday, and surprise surprise, politics looks pretty much the same today. Little has changed. For the Prime Minister, considerable relief. For the Labour leader, something of a blow.

Hillingdon proved just that – talk. None of Labour’s target councils went red, including Barnet, where Corbyn had planned a victory tour, only for the anti-Semitism row to turn the council blue. Instead Corbyn was forced to head to Plymouth, the only council Labour wrestled from the Tories. Theresa May has avoided electoral meltdown, and with it any The PM, as if to rub salt in the wound, headed across the prospect of an imminent leadership challenge has evaporated, Thames to Wandsworth. They actually lost 8 seats there but it for now. Snap election, lost majority, Brexit, resignations, felt like a victory. Windrush – none of it appears to have made much difference. For Jeremy Corbyn this, in truth, was a pretty bruising night. The new political dividing lines of leave vs remain and town vs For a party supposedly positioning itself as a government in city appear intact. UKIP were all but wiped out. The Lib Dems waiting the status quo is not a happy position. Labour’s talk made some gains. Leave voters appear to have returned to today is of ‘consolidation’ – code for ‘oh dear’. Privately the the Tories. Labour failed to make inroads in the places it must internalising is underway. What’s clear is that Labour spinners, win to take Number 10. The Tories failed to move the dial in messagers and strategists will be ruing the lack of expectation cities where diverse, young, remain, metropolitan voters see management – particularly in the Capital. nothing attractive in brand Tory. Given last night, both parties have a problem without an apparent solution. How does May Labour actually did pretty well in London – a 100+ seat swing marry support for a harder Brexit with the need to move in a Labour city with a popular Labour Mayor and a Labour younger centrist voters? How does Corbyn garner enough Assembly. Yet none of that matters a jot. The headlines will be ‘momentum’ to scale the battlements in Tory and leave about hubris – how talk of victory in Tory flagship townhalls leaning towns? We are stuck. Brexit – good or bad – may yet like Wandsworth, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and move the dial. But don’t bank on it.

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2018: RESULTS AT A GLANCE COUNCILLORS AS OF 17:00 +59

4 May 2018

-19

+5

+66

+12

-123

2,166

1,305

499

34

3

141

LAB

CON

LIB DEM

GREEN

UKIP

OTHER

Edelman | Southside | 105 Victoria Street | SW1E 6QT London | www.edelmaneditions.com | 020 3047 2000 | @edelmanUK


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