As of 7:45pm, the Liberal Democrats accordinf to the BBC, have gained 190 councillors in today’s elections in England,  20 in Scotland and 11 in Wales. It’s fair to say that this way exceeds our expectations.

In Ed Davey’s home patch in Kingston, our Council must be doing something right. We achieved 41 seats compared to 3 Tories and an Independent. The final ward is subject to a deferred election because of the sad death of one of the candidates.  This is even better than the Richmond result where we won 48 seats (up 9) with just 6 opposition seats.

As if that wasn’t enough, we then go and gain 20, yes that is 20 not 2.0 seats in St Albans.

We now control 16 councils which is up 3.

And Peter Taylor was healthily re-elected as Mayor of Watford.

We are undoubtedly the big winners of the election across the country.

Ed Davey has been touring the country meeting our new Councillors. Here he is on the BBC with a beautifully arranged backdrop of Somerset councillors:

"I’m afraid the Conservatives were just taking people for granted”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey celebrates his party's win in Somerset, where the Lib Dems have taken control of the new unitary council#LocalElections2022 https://t.co/Q23VLQu2wG pic.twitter.com/lYqqJc91M3

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 6, 2022

Earlier in the day, he told a crowd of Wimbledon Lib Dems, fresh from their 12 gains in the ultra marginal seat:

What began as a tremor in Chesham and Amersham, became an earthquake in North Shropshire, and is now an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative Government tumbling down.

It is the movement of millions of people who are saying loud and clear: “We have had enough.”

Enough of seeing our energy bills go up, our tax bills go up, and our standard of living go down.

Enough of filthy sewage pouring into our local rivers.

Enough of waiting hours for an ambulance or weeks to see a GP.

Enough of being ignored and taken for granted by this Conservative Government.

And enough of a Prime Minister who breaks the law and lies about it.

The tectonic plates of British politics are shifting beneath Boris Johnson’s feet. And now it’s time for Conservative MPs to plunge him into the abyss.

So our message to Conservative MPs here in Wimbledon and across the Blue Wall is this:

If you don’t get rid of Boris Johnson…

If you don’t give struggling families and pensioners more help with the cost-of-living crisis

If you don’t start listening to people and stop taking them for granted…

We are coming for you.

Because the Liberal Democrats are winning again.

We’ve won seats from Labour in Salford and Sunderland, Barnsley and Brent, and taken control from them in Hull.

We’ve won from the Conservatives in Cheadle and Colchester, Richmond and Oxfordshire.

And we’ve made massive gains from both of them here in Wimbledon.

We are winning again thanks to your amazing hard work. Thanks to the hard work of Liberal Democrat candidates and campaigners across the UK.

So I want to say a massive thank you to all of you.

Local, community politics is what our party has always been all about. And you are all the embodiment of that community politics.

So, thank you!

We are winning again because we are listening to people…

Because we hear their concerns and their frustrations…

Because we are standing up for our values, standing up for our communities, and fighting for a fair deal.

The great British people deserve so much better than this law-breaking Prime Minister and his out-of-touch Conservative Government.

Families and pensioners deserve far more support, instead of being clobbered with unfair tax rises.

Our wonderful British countryside deserves far better than sewage being dumped into our rivers.

So if you are fed up with being let down and taken for granted…

If you want strong local champions who will work hard for your community…

If you want a better politics, if you want a stronger economy, if you want a more caring society…

If you want a fair deal for you and your family…

Then join us.

Choose the Liberal Democrats, and let’s bring this Conservative Government down for good.