When do main opposition parties lose seats in council elections?
My guess is a fair few journalists/pundits will get this wrong. In the interests of accuracy, therefore, here’s the list since 1983 – which is longer than I think many will report:
When local elections on their own
1992 (Labour in opposition; local elections held several weeks after general election)
1987 (Labour in opposition; local elections held several weeks before general election)
1985 (Labour in opposition)
When local and general elections on the same day
2015 (Labour in opposition)
2010 (Conservatives in opposition*)
* When voting took place.
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