LONDON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Britain's ruling Labor
Party was dealt a heavy blow on Friday as results of local elections emerged.
According to local media reports, Labor garnered its
worst election result in 40 years.
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Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown
speaks to the media during a news conference with Israel's Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni at 10 Downing Street in London May 2, 2008. The
Labour Party slumped to its worst local election defeat in 40 years on
Friday, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his first test at
the polls since taking over from Tony Blair. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
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Gallery>>> |
So far Labor has lost 358 seats and 10 councils
whereas the Conservative Party has picked up 235 seats and eight councils.
Analysts said such a share in a general election
would have the potential to give the Conservative Party a majority of 138 seats
at the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown described Thursday night
as "bad" and "disappointing," adding that "testing economic circumstances" had
not helped Labor.
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Britain's Conservative Party leader
David Cameron (R) celebrates with council leader Marcus Smith after
victory in the council elections in Nuneaton, central England, May 2,
2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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But he assured the public that the government "had
listened" and would "move forward" to "steer them through these difficult
times."
"The test of leadership is not what happens in a
period of success but what happens in difficult circumstances," Brown noted.
David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservative
Party, hailed the result as "a vote of positive confidence in the Conservative
Party," and "a very big moment" for the Tories, but he noted that he did not
want to win a general election just because Labor was failing.
"I want us to really prove to people that we can make
the changes they want to see. That's what I'm going to devote myself and my
party to doing over the next few months," he said.
The results for the London mayoral election are yet
to be announced late Friday. If Ken Livingstone, the incumbent mayor, wins over
his Conservative rival Boris Johnson, it would be a silver lining for battered
Labor.
Conservative Boris likely to be
elected London new mayor
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London Mayoral Conservative candidate
Boris Johnson campaigns in central London April 30,
2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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LONDON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Conservative candidate Boris
Johnson could win London elections and become the city's new mayor according to
partial results, the Evening Standard reported on Friday.
Boris Johnson is "so far ahead on first-preference votes
he could not be caught by (the incumbent mayor Ken) Livingstone, even after
second preferences were taken into account," the London paper said. Full story
