LONDON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom's (UK) ruling Conservative Party lost some of its traditional strongholds in Thursday's local elections. The vote has been considered to be a litmus test for the mid-term popularity of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, caught between the partygate scandal and surging inflation. However, the country's opposition parties have not made sufficient gains to change the tide in British politics.
On Thursday, voters decided thousands of council seats across the United Kingdom (UK), including all councils in Scotland, Wales and London, and several in the rest of England.
A man walks past a polling station in Manchester, Britain, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
People walk towards a polling station to cast their votes for the local elections in Manchester, Britain, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
A man walks past a polling station in Manchester, Britain, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
A man walks past a polling station in Manchester, Britain, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
The election came after months of turmoil for Johnson, during which he became the first sitting prime minister to be punished for breaking the law. Last month, he was fined for attending his own birthday party in June 2020 at Downing Street, when coronavirus restrictions imposed by him on the British public were in effect. A parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers over these illicit gatherings is also underway. Lying to Parliament is an offense in Britain that normally triggers resignation.
Moreover, Johnson's government has come under fire for not doing enough to soften the impact of a growing cost-of-living crisis as millions of people are coping with rising energy bills and food prices. The Bank of England expects inflation to rise to 9 percent in the second quarter of this year and then peak at "slightly over 10 percent" in the last quarter.
A woman leaves a polling station after casting her vote for the local elections in Manchester, Britain, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
Staff count ballots for the local elections at Wandsworth, London, Britain, May 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Staff count ballots for the local elections at Wandsworth, London, Britain, May 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Staff count ballots for the local elections at Wandsworth, London, Britain, May 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Produced by Xinhua Global Service■