Updated council by elections: Labour’s vote leaps across Tory seats

Labour increased its share of the vote in council by-elections last night.

The Tories retained all four seats up for grabs, which had been expected, as the votes were held in the well-heeled community of Wyre in Lancashire as well as in rural Kent.

Theresa May’s party saw their vote fall in two out of four wards while Labour’s numbers rose in every seat.

Preesall (Wyre)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 55.3 per cent (-9.9)

Labour: 44.7 per cent (+9.9)

Wyre Rural Central (Lancashire)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 60 per cent (-10.9)

Labour: 31.8 per cent (+13.9)

Greens: 8.2 per cent (-3.1)

Birchington and Rural (Kent)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 56.6 per cent (+6.1)

Labour: 19.1 per cent (+2.9)

Lib Dems: 12.5 per cent (+0.5)

UKIP: 8 per cent (-7.8)

Greens: 3.8 per cent (-1.8)

Thanet Villages (Kent).

Conservative hold (was three member ward).

Conservative: 49.3 per cent (+25.1)

Lib Dems: 24.9 per cent (+24.9)

Labour: 16.4 per cent (+6.6)

Greens: 5.3 per cent (-6.2)

Independent: 4.1 per cent (+4.1)

No independents (-31.7) and UKIP (-22.8) as previously.