Local elections a Labour Party turning point for 2024 - Rachel Reeves

After the disastrous results of 2019, as the sun came up on Friday morning, early results showed the progress we have made thanks to Keir Starmer’s leadership.

We’ve made headway in England, Scotland and Wales, taking over key Conservative councils.

We’re winning back the popular vote share and making progress in key battlegrounds in Yorkshire and across the country that we need to take from the Tories in the General Election, which is due in 2024.

And if you project just some of the results from Thursday night to the General Election, we’d gain over 16 Leave-voting seats based on aggregate vote share across the North and Midlands. This is a solid foundation for us to build on.

Here in Yorkshire, I’ve been joining the many amazing activists pounding the pavement day in and day out in the lead up to the local elections, listening to voters, and setting out how Labour is on their side.

I’ve spent days in Wakefield, Heckmondwike and closer to home here in Leeds West – speaking to people about what Labour in power does and will do for them.

Across our county, we have brilliant local councillors winning and holding seats last night, determined to make a difference to the issues that matter to you – whether it’s fixing potholes, protecting community spaces or rejuvenating your local high street.

And voters have put their trust in Labour’s national plan to tackle the cost of living crisis too.

As BP and Shell announce astronomical profits again this week, we’ll keep heavy pressure on the Government to adopt our plan for a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits now, to cut household bills by up to £600.

On the election trail we’ve been setting out how we’d grow the economy to get us out of the high tax trap we’re stuck in, how we’d start insulating homes to save you £400 off your annual energy bill in the long run – and how we’d stop huge amounts of money being lost to fraud and waste under this Tory government.

The reality is that a Labour government is needed now. In every corner of our country, the cost of living crisis continues to bite under this incompetent and out of touch Tory government.

With bills soaring and inflation spiralling, families are feeling worse off.