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Tories are still biggest party on the right, claims Cleverly
Cleverly said Reform’s gains still leave the Conservatives ahead on the right, as the party won more than 1,450 council seats and 14 councils.
- Sir James Cleverly argued the Conservatives remain the biggest right-of-centre party in British politics despite Reform winning more than 1,450 council seats in Thursday's elections.
- Support for the Conservatives in England fell by 11 points compared to 2022, as the party lost more than half of its defended seats while Reform gained control of 14 councils including Suffolk, Essex, Sunderland and Barnsley.
- Cleverly dismissed Reform as a "cult of personality," contrasting it with Conservative priorities like "reducing taxes, protecting borders, funding the armed forces." He told the BBC these represented centre-right governance.
- Reform deputy leader Richard Tice called the results a "seismic earthquake in British politics," while Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared two-party politics "dead and buried."
- Acknowledging the party is less than two years from major electoral defeat, Cleverly expressed "no doubt" the Conservatives will regain seats next year, predicting voters will reject Reform and the Greens after experiencing their governance.
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The British right still hasn't recovered from Brexit
Reform UK had clear objectives in the 2026 elections in England, Scotland and Wales. It wanted to show that its 15-month lead in the national opinion polls could be translated into actual votes, and it wanted to finally bury the Conservatives, its main competitor on the right. With only eight MPs in Parliament, compared to the Conservatives 116 MPs, Reform needed to build on its striking success in the local elections in 2025 to make good its cl…
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources2
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
Factuality
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