Conservatives predicted to lose 500 council seats in England – about half the number they are defending
Voting has closed in local elections, a moment of potential peril for Rishi Sunak, with the Conservatives braced for heavy losses that could destabilise his premiership.
The elections, in more than 2,600 seats across 107 English councils, are seen as a key test of whether the Conservative party is as unpopular with voters as the polls suggest.
