Friday 03 May 2019 8:48 am | Updated: Wednesday 05 June 2019 9:17 am

Brexit bites: Tories and Labour suffer local election backlash amid deadlocked negotiations

Voters expressed their frustration with Theresa May’s Conservative party and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour at the ballot box yesterday, it has emerged, as results continue to pour in across the UK.

So far both major parties have accepted they have suffered a backlash over gridlocked Brexit negotiations, with representatives having made little progress in cross-party talks.

The UK was due to leave the EU on 29 March, but this was originally extended until 12 April and now the UK is not set to depart until 31 October.

Voters signalled their dismay as they took part in local elections for almost 250 English councils, 11 Northern Ireland councils and six mayors.

Only 100 councils had declared results early this morning, but so far the Tories have lost 434 seats and 19 councils, while Labour have dropped more than 80, as well as control of three councils.

Ex-minister, Tory Crispin Blunt, told the BBC the Conservatives had proved more “resilient” than widely expected.

But he said the party could suffer further in the European elections later this month unless “there was a clear strategy to get Brexit over the line”.

Chair of the influenial backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, told the BBC that a lack of progress on Brexit has proved to be a “massive frustration” for voters.

“We need to be more obviously competent as a government and we need to make progress – crucially on the central issue of Brexit,” he said.

Labour shadow minister Dawn Butler called it a “tough set of elections”, according to Sky News, as critics said it underperformed for a main opposition party trying to win against a weak minority government.

She added: “We have to be honest, parliament is a mess at the moment.”

Support swelled for Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats while the Green party and Independent Group also made gains.

The Lib Dems have so far gained eight councils, while the Greens have gained 36 councillors and Ukip has lost 54.