Tory victory seen for London mayor, other local elections
LONDON (AP) — An eccentric Conservative lawmaker appeared likely to become London's next mayor after an election that brought only gloom Friday for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Labour Party.
Brown's first test at the polls Thursday brought Labour its worst local election results in four decades; his credibility has been dented by accusations of dithering and economic blunders since he became leader last June. The party lost more than 300 municipal council seats and the Conservatives made strong gains in its longtime weak spot in northern England.
In London, bookmakers and legislators alike predicted former magazine editor Boris Johnson would win for the Conservatives, defeating Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone, who became the city's first elected mayor in 2000.
The mayor of London is one of the nation's most high-profile posts — controlling a budget of billions and charged with planning for the 2012 Olympics.
"It looks like Boris Johnson is ahead," Olympics minister Tessa Jowell told the British Broadcasting Corp. "The people of London are telling us something — telling us their lives are very hard. They want us to take quick and clear notice of that."
Brown's poor showing seem certain to embolden critics within his Labour Party who fear the famously sullen ex-Treasury chief has little prospect of beating the Conservatives' charismatic leader, David Cameron, in a national election.
Cameron's Conservatives had champagne on ice, preparing to toast Johnson's predicted capture of London's City Hall.
Johnson, 43, a former magazine editor, is known for his wit and frequent television appearances. He also has offended minority communities with unguarded comments.
However, his clownish charm means most forgive his indiscretions and appears to have been the key to wresting control of City Hall from Livingstone.
"The ship of state is heading towards the rocks," crowed Tory lawmaker Eric Pickles, predicting Brown would now put off a national election until the latest possible date in mid-2010.
In last year's local elections, Labour lost control of Scotland's regional government.
"I think these results are not just a vote against Gordon Brown and his government," Cameron said. "I think they are a vote of positive confidence in the Conservative Party."
There was little Brown could do to put a positive spin on the losses. "It's clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night for Labour," he told reporters.
Brown's electoral thrashing came as Tony Blair — his predecessor and longtime rival — reminded Britons of his polished statesmanlike credentials, leading talks on Palestinian aid and hosting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his London home.
One Labour peer, Lord Desai, recently quipped that Brown's true role was to show his party how much they missed Blair.
Partial results from 157 local councils showed the Conservatives gaining 259 seats with Labour losing 306. The Liberal Democrats gained 31 seats. Results of the London mayor's race were expected late Friday.
The BBC projected the Conservatives would take 44 percent of the vote in England and Wales, putting it 20 points ahead of Labour. Brown's party was a point behind the Liberal Democrats, usually the country's third-largest party, according to the BBC.
Brown was credited with overseeing Britain's longest stretch of postwar prosperity and enjoyed a strong start as prime minister.
He claimed to represent substance after the slick Blair years, and won praise for his deft handling of botched terror attacks in London and Glasgow. But Brown's brief honeymoon ended abruptly when he anguished over, and then ruled out, an early national election in October.
Since then, economic woes and Brown's strategic blunders have conspired to send poll ratings for Labour to a 20-year low.
Voters grumble over rising food and fuel prices, falling house values, tax changes that have hit blue-collar workers, and the costly nationalization of mortgage lender Northern Rock.
Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University said Thursday's voting suggested the Conservatives had finally recovered from the 1992 currency crisis that drove Britain out of the European exchange rate mechanism and wrecked their reputation for economic competence.
However, Brown's Labour Party followed disastrous municipal results in 2004 with a strong national election victory a year later.
Associated Press writers Paisley Dodds and Raphael Satter contributed to this report.
