Katy Balls Katy Balls

How Redditch, Peterborough and Nuneaton saved the bank holiday weekend

Ahead of the local elections – and the predictions of a bloodbath for the Conservatives – it seemed a safe bet that on the night the official Tory MP WhatsApp message group would be filled with complaints about bad results – possibly bad leadership – and a number of Conservative MPs warning emotional colleagues to hold it together and get behind Theresa May. Instead, the problem was of another variety: ‘where’s my graphic?’ Tory MPs used the thread to complain not about their leader but the fact the ‘Tory held’ or ‘Tory win’ Twitter banners weren’t ready in time to share.

As Theresa May goes into the weekend, her position looks safe. With the Tories holding onto key councils – Westminster, Wandsworth and Kensington – in London and making gains in West Midlands, the party had has a surprisingly good result than will ease concerns over the momentum behind Jeremy Corbyn.

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