Labour determined to win back former strongholds in polls in which 16- and 17-year-olds can vote for first time
Huw Thomas, a 70-year-old retired police officer from Bridgend, has backed the Conservatives his whole life. But not this week. “I’m voting Labour for the first time ever,” he said. “Every time I see Boris the buffoon, it makes me more sure. He’s lied and lied. He expressed shock that parties took place at Downing Street, then it turns out he was there. He’s laughing at us. That’s it for me.”
It is the sort of view that cheers Labour activists in south Wales, for whom Bridgend county borough council is a key target in this week’s local elections. In 2017, the party lost more than 100 councillors across Wales and overall control of what were once seen as strongholds such as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent. To make matters worse, Labour lost Bridgend to the Tories in the 2019 parliamentary election. This time they are determined to claw the losses back.
