A new poll suggests Labour could lose power in Southwark for the first time in 15 years predicting the council could fall to no overall control.
The bombshell poll predicts that Southwark Labour and the Liberal Democrats could take home the same number of seats in the May local elections, with neither party achieving an overall majority.
This would be the first time Labour has failed to win an outright majority in the borough since booting out the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010.
The poll warns of an electoral wipeout in London facing Labour, which could see the party lose control over all but two of its 21 councils – Newham and Redbridge.
Swathes of Labour-run south London councils could fall to the Greens, including Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich. according to the poll carried out by data firm Bombe on behalf of the Guardian.
Across London, Labour would drop from first to fourth place overall, while the Greens would clinch first place, winning nine councils.
Even Camden, the local council where the Prime Minister’s own constituency is located, could fall from Labour to no overall control.
Despite the growing momentum behind the Greens locally, who until last July had no representation on the council and now have four councillors who have defected from Labour, Southwark would not be one of the south-east London boroughs to turn Green in May.
However elections expert Lord Hayward cast a note of doubt over the polling, telling the Standard he was “absolutely confident” that Labour wouldn’t face a wipeout in the May local elections.
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He told the newspaper: “It’s easy to say we’ll write them all off, but I find it very hard to believe that places like Brent and Lewisham will be anything other than Labour controlled.”
About time that politicians and media learn how to deal with coalitions in this country. It works in other countries, why not here? Why all the melodrama when there’s no ‘overall’ control?