15 (other) cities to watch

Forget London. Odds are that Boris will win re-election while Labour becomes the largest party on the GLA. There are far more exciting battles going on around the country. Here’s the state of play in 15 cities outside the M25:

1. Birmingham.
After strong gains in 2011, Labour are looking to depose the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition and regain the overall majority they held here until 2003. They need just five gains to do so — and, with 18 Tory seats and 13 Lib Dem ones up, that shouldn’t prove too difficult. Both of the coalition parties are simply in damage limitation mode.

2. Glasgow. Labour held a majority here for three decades, but lost it just a few weeks ago through resignations. The SNP — currently on 20 seats to Labour’s 39 — are intent on taking control. This will be the number one focus for both Scottish parties.