Labour Gets Hit in Local Elections; Tories Get Best Result Since '92

[BurtWorm]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/localelections2006/story/0,,1768543,00.html?gusrc=rss

Midday
Brown: we must heed voters' warning

Hélène Mulholland and agencies
Friday May 5, 2006

Gordon Brown today told Labour to heed the "warning shot" from the voters as the party suffered a bruising round of defeats at the local elections last night.

...

The chancellor, while praising the prime minister for doing a "brilliant job" < :sarcasm: ? > said he would be talking directly with him about how they could deal with the recent problems afflicting the government on foreign deportations and the NHS.

"I will be talking to Tony Blair about these issues over the weekend," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme adding, "We have got to do it competently, efficiently, and we have got to show in the next few days - not just the next few weeks - that we have sorted these problems out."

The party netted just 26% of votes, compared to the Lib Dems' 27% and the Tory high water mark which saw them gain around 40% of votes - the party's best result since 1992.

The result led to immediate calls from Labour backbenchers for a change of management at the top of the party.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Time for Tony and his Toadies to go.

Don't put the Tories in, that way lies madness. But get some real, intelligent leadership at the head of the Labour party.

Glenda Jackson for PM. She may have the feeble body of a woman, but she has the heart and stomach of a King!