Hertfordshire’s only Liberal Democrat MP, party deputy leader Daisy Cooper, demands General Election now

Voters are “sick to the back teeth” with the Conservative Government, Hertfordshire’s only Liberal Democrat MP has said.

Speaking at an election count in Cheshunt on Saturday (May 4), the party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, said: “Quite frankly, the only thing Rishi Sunak could do right now which could instil any trust in people would be to call a General Election.

“We’ve been hearing for months now that people are just sick to the back teeth of this Conservative Government.

“As we go into the General Election, I can tell voters here in Hertfordshire and right across the country that Liberal Democrats will put our health and social care services front and centre of our campaigning, as well as tackling the cost of living crisis and protecting our local environment.”

Currently, 10 of Hertfordshire’s 11 parliamentary constituencies – including Hertford and Stortford, where Julie Marson is MP – are held by Conservatives.

Tories are licking their wounds after a string of local election defeats across England. After the final votes were counted on Sunday, they had lost control of 10 councils and 48% of their seats on 107 councils, with Labour now having 1,158 councillors (+186), the Lib Dems second on 522 (+ 104), Conservatives third on 515 (-474), Independents 228 (+93) and the Green Party on 181 (+74).

In Hertfordshire, the Lib Dems made gains in North Herts, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield. The party has majorities in Dacorum, which was not up for election this time, St Albans and Three Rivers, which means its councillors have overall control of their councils.

In Stevenage, the Conservatives lost eight of their nine borough council seats to Labour as the Lib Dems became the largest political opposition group with six seats.

In East Herts, where there were no elections, the Lib Dems are part of a power-sharing coalition with the Greens after last May’s local government vote returned 19 Greens, 10 Lib Dems, 16 Conservatives and five Labour members. Two Greens have since left the council group to sit as Independents. The next election is on May 6, 2027.

Ms Cooper said: “Across the country, the Liberal Democrats have had an absolutely fantastic result. We’ve made really significant gains right across ‘Blue Wall’ areas and across the South West, where Liberal Democrats are the key challengers to the Conservatives.

“If you look at places like Woking and Tunbridge Wells, these are real true-blue areas that have been considered strongholds and heartlands for the Conservative Party. It’s in those places where we are taking the fight to the Conservatives and we have had some fantastic results.”

The Conservatives also lost 10 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to Labour, marking a potentially significant blow for the Tories if they aim to centre their next General Election campaign on law and order, but they won the Hertfordshire PCC poll.

Broxbourne is the only borough or district council in Herts where the Conservatives have a majority. The party held on to all nine seats it was defending and has 27 in total. Labour is the only opposition group in Broxbourne with three seats, all in Waltham Cross.

Cllr Jim Clune, who was elected in the Wormley and Turnford ward, said: “Our council is an excellent council. It’s solvent, we’re very ambitious and we managed to get that message across to our supporters and to the other residents of Broxbourne who might not be natural Conservatives. I’m very humbled and I think it’s been an excellent night.”

Labour lost three seats to the Lib Dems in Watford. England’s smallest shire district council now comprises 30 Lib Dem members and six Labour Party, down from nine. But the party is the largest in North Herts, Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield.

The Green Party won seats in St Albans’ St Peters ward and Three Rivers’ Dickinsons. The party’s PCC candidate said the results had put his party “on the map”.

“Having gone through the PCC [campaign], it’s brought the whole county together,” said Cllr Matt Fisher. “We’re looking at this strategically and looking at where we can give a good fight and perhaps win a couple of seats.”