Election result is a 'cry of anger' from a crime-ridden nation

Devastating local results which saw the Conservatives lose 674 councillors should be seen as a “genuine cry of anger” from law-abiding voters who are furious about crime, according to former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith. He described the election which saw Nigel Farage’s Reform UK win 677 council seats as a “body blow” for the traditional parties of government.

Sir Iain warned voters are angry about antisocial behaviour, rampant shoplifting, emptied high streets and “the feeling nobody cares a damn about what is going wrong”.

He said: “This is their daily experience of life in Britain. Once upon a time law-abiding citizens were considered to be at the top of the pecking order. Now, they think they are at the bottom.”

Describing the divide that has opened up between voters and MPs, he said: “They believe in and love this country but they don’t think their politicians do... They just don’t feel that their Westminster politicians care enough about their lives.”

Urging Tories to reconnect with people who feel they have been forgotten, he said: “We have to get down and live in their shoes. We have to understand why they are so angry.”

His call comes as senior Tory figures cautioned against any move to oust party leader Kemi Badenoch in the wake of the worse than expected results.

Former Defence Secretary Sir Liam Fox told the Sunday Express: “This is a time for Conservatives to rally behind Kemi Badenoch. Loyalty and stability are key building blocks in re-establishing our credibility with voters.

“As Boris reminded us, Kemi has one of the best minds and is the most original thinker among today’s party leaders. We must build on these strengths as we create the optimistic and forward-thinking programme that our country needs more than ever.”

But another former cabinet minister said: “Kemi isn’t the answer to the existential problem the Conservative Party is facing. She has to go.”

A senior Conservative spokesman said: “No one, least of all Kemi, is underestimating the scale of the renewal required to get the Conservative Party back to where it needs to be. Thursday’s results show this very clearly, and Kemi will show the same energy she has displayed in the locals campaign - visiting every single county with elections at least once, and some more than three times - as she seeks to win back lost seats.”

The spokesman said the results have “woken up a lot of donors and supporters who didn’t think they needed to get involved”.

He said: “They’d been viewing Farage as an amusing TV show host, but they don’t want him in charge of their money or their lives.”

He added that the result exposed the “sheer scale of contempt for Starmer and this failing Labour government,” adding: “This is an opportunity the Conservatives now must not miss by turning in on ourselves.”

The Tories say they have received more than £500,000 in donations in the past week and that Mrs Badenoch will push ahead with efforts to ban under-16s from social media.

Labour will also engage in soul-searching, having lost 187 councillors and been beaten by Reform in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “wake up every morning determined to go further and faster”.

But a Labour MP said: “I don’t know what he means when he says he wants to go further and faster... There needs to be a bit of humility from the Labour party.”

They warned that Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are only remembered for restricting access to winter fuel payments for pensioners and plans to tighten eligibility to Personal Independence Payments.

Labour has made the mistake of thinking working-class voters are Left-leaning, the MP added, warning that Reform is a “real, real problem”.

“They like law and order, they like the Royal Family and they will vote accordingly based on that,” the MP said.

Mr Farage is already looking forward to the future.

He told supporters: “What we have achieved with a small, dedicated group of people over the last 12 months is nothing short of a miracle. But we must expand our operations to support our newly elected representatives — and win in Wales and Scotland next year.”