The Labour Party emerged as the clear leader following last week's local elections.

Labour gained 823 council seats on 3 May, while the Conservatives lost more than 400 – blaming traditional mid-term blues for the decline. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, also paid the price for the coalition government's mid-term unpopularity – losing 336 seats and registering fewer than 3,000 councillors for the first time in the party's modern history.