Britain’s governing Conservatives and the Labour main opposition took a drubbing Friday in English local elections as voters vented their frustration with the Brexit deadlock.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and hundreds of seats but Labour failed to capitalize, with votes going instead to smaller parties.
Voters went to the polls Thursday in mainly rural and suburban areas of England, with more than 8,000 seats up for grabs.
“It looks as though the key message from the voters to the Conservatives and Labour is ‘a plague on both of your houses,’ as both of them find themselves losing both votes and seats on an extensive basis,” polling expert John Curtice told the BBC.
The main parties “have been losing votes most heavily in those wards where they were strongest,” with the Conservatives losing seats in southern England and Labour in the north.