United Kingdom - May 2023

The Labour party became the most represented party in local government in Great Britain, gaining 537 seats after local representatives were elected in 230 English councils on 4 May. The Conservative party suffered great losses, down 1,063 seats, while the Liberal Democrats picked up 407 seats. In England, the Labour party now controls 71 councils (compared to 57 in the 2019 local elections), while the Conservatives only control 33, losing key Tory strongholds. On 18 May, Northern Ireland held local government elections in its 11 councils, where Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein overtook the Democratic Unionist Party as the biggest party in local government. It was the first time English voters were required to show identification in order to be issued a ballot, following the passage of the Elections Act in 2022, which critics have said can negatively impact on voter turnout, particularly among marginalised groups.   Turnout in Northern Ireland was 54.7 per cent, up from 52.7 per cent in the 2019 local elections. Women now comprise 31.4 per cent of councillors in Northern Ireland (previously 26.4 per cent).

Sources: The Conversation, Politico, House of Commons Library (1), House of Commons Library (2), Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, Belfast Live