Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has renewed his demand for Rishi Sunak to go to the polls after the prime minister suffered a by-election drubbing and bruising council losses across England.

While admitting it had been a “tough night”, Tory bosses have sought to play down the grim early results and calm rumblings among MPs insisting Mr Sunak was “the right man” to lead the party.

Sky News elections analyst Professor Michael Thrasher has warned the Conservatives could be on course for one of their worst-ever performances.

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The results as they come in

Buoyed by council gains in key battleground areas like Hartlepool, Rushmoor in Hampshire, Redditch in the West Midlands and Thurrock in Essex, Sir Keir declared the “seismic win” for Labour in the Blackpool South by-election “a direct message to the prime minister”.

Highlighting the swing of 26.33% from the Tories in the Lancashire seat, the opposition leader told Sky News: “There’s no denying the mood of the country now is for change. And I think it’s for the prime minister to allow the country to express that change now in a general election.”

Speaking to Sky News, Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said it had been a “tough night”, but insisted that “when we’re facing those tough challenges we’ve got the right man for the job”.

Read more:
The winners and losers
Charts tell story of Conservative collapse
Who is Labour’s new MP in Blackpool South?

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On the potential threat of Conservative MPs choosing to oust Mr Sunak, Mr Holden added: “Parliamentary colleagues need to look at this and see… and wait through the weekend as well.”

Mr Holden sought to highlight local issues at play, insisting the Blackpool South by-election took place in “particularly difficult” circumstances following the resignation of former Tory MP Scott Benton after a lobbying scandal.

Search for your council name or postcode to find the result where you live

Key results include:

Redditch – Labour gain from the Tories

Hartlepool – Labour gain from no overall control

Rushmoor – Labour grabbed from the Conservatives

Thurrock – a Labour gain from no overall control

North East Lincolnshire – lost by the Tories to no overall control

Harlow – the Tories managed to just about hang on against a challenge from Labour

One glimmer of light for the Tories amid the gloom is keeping the Tees Valley mayoralty.

The incumbent mayor, Ben Houchen, is leading his Labour rival. Labour appear ready to concede defeat in the race.

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