London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Local elections: ‘It’s Partygate versus low council taxes’

Local elections: ‘It’s Partygate versus low council taxes’

The Tories have held Wandsworth for more than four decades, but Boris Johnson’s lockdown woes and the cost of living crisis threaten to tip the balance towards Labour

In many ways, the London borough of Wandsworth is a paradigm of the modern capital. On one hand, it is a place where a teenager recently fainted from hunger in a food bank queue. And on the other, it is home to the “sky pool”, a spectacular transparent swimming pool suspended 10 storeys above ground in Nine Elms, and reserved exclusively for the development’s richest residents.

The borough is also known for its comparatively low council tax – which, its Conservative-run council boasts, is the lowest average council tax in the country. Wandsworth also claims to be the only local authority in London that is cutting its share of council tax bills.

“You look at the housing down here and wonder: ‘How much is for normal people?’ It looks like investment housing more than anything else,” said Yahan Lewis, 53, sitting on a park bench opposite Southside shopping centre after a visit to the jobcentre. “I always think it’s the money borough. It’s all about money. They keep the rates low and people vote for them.”

Perhaps that is why, after more than four decades in charge of Wandsworth borough council, the Tories have proved immovable. Despite all three of its parliamentary constituencies being held by Labour – the Tories lost Battersea to Labour in 2017 and Putney two years later – and residents voting for Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, the council has remained firmly in the hands of the Tories.

But amid anger over Partygate and as the cost of living crisis bites, this leading Tory council – one of a handful in London still under Conservative control – is on a knife edge. And on 5 May it could turn red for the first time since 1978 – potentially spelling disaster for the Tories and making it a key target for Labour.

Robert Hayward, the Tory peer and pollster, said that Wandsworth was home to many of the kinds of traditional Tory voters that were now turning against Boris Johnson – namely, pro-remain women aged between 40 and 55.

He also said the Conservatives were trying to make the campaign in the capital about their historic commitment to keep council tax down – and to blame Khan for increases. He says the race remains a close and unpredictable one.

“It is Partygate versus low council tax,” he said. “That is essentially what the battle is. There were so many wards which were split or unbelievably close last time. The Labour party actually won more votes than the Tories [but gained them in the wrong places]. If the Conservatives just lose Wandsworth and they do well in other parts of the country, it will be a disappointment, but nothing more than that.”

However, he went on: “If it is the top of a broader picture, it becomes emotionally very different.”

The latest polling conducted in London suggests that Labour is doing slightly better than in 2018, the last time the same elections took place, but not by a large margin. The party did well that year, in the wake of Theresa May’s disastrous 2017 general election campaign. An Opinium poll for Sky News gave Labour a 20-point lead. Back in 2018, Labour secured a 15-point lead.

One senior Tory, a veteran of London politics, said the changing demographics of Wandsworth would make it harder for the Conservatives. There was also increasing weariness over Partygate, he said, adding that more fines for the prime minister could make a difference as polling day approaches.

Sadiq Khan and Kemi Akinola on board the Wandsworth food bus, which delivers food to deprived areas.


Which is perhaps why Tories in seven London boroughs – including Wandsworth – will be listed as “local Conservatives” on the ballot paper rather than the “Conservative party candidate”, seemingly in an attempt to distance themselves from any toxicity of the national brand.

But the Conservatives may struggle to pull in people they have previously counted on. On the newly pedestrianised Old York Road in the centre of the borough, where cyclists whiz past people dining outside delis, cafes and restaurants amid strategically placed planting, Liam Garrett, 30, said he did not know the local elections were coming up.

The marketing business owner said he was fed up with all the talk of Partygate, which was “over the top”. He added: “It just needs to end as quickly as possible. There are far more pressing issues.”

While he thinks Wandsworth council does a good job, particularly on council tax costs, he does not usually vote in local elections.

Daisy Talbot, a 20-year-old Durham University student at home for the Easter holidays, voted Conservative previously, but this time around says she would not feel good about voting for them. “There’s definitely a shift,” she said, adding that, like her, many of her friends in the area would no longer vote Conservative. “Now, given lockdown especially and us being students, we feel like our age group hasn’t had much attention.”

During the period when Johnson attended parties in lockdown, some of her friends were expelled from university for mixing. “I would feel guilty if I was complaining all the time and voted for them.” In contrast, she thought Keir Starmer was doing a good job: “He’s becoming a figure I’m much more aware of.”

Life is hard for many Wandsworth residents: as people with mortgages start to join the queues for food banks, there is a lot more on people’s minds than parties.

Charlotte White, 48, manager of Earlsfield food bank, said housing was a huge issue in the area and people were struggling with increasingly complex problems as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s not just our numbers that are going up, but the complexity of problems. People are coming in with complicated issues and the support simply isn’t there,” she said. “I think people wanting better solutions to those problems might have an effect on how they vote.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
×