Early holds for Tories

The first results in on local election night in England and Wales have seen a spate of holds for the Conservative party.

At 01:00 BST, an hour after the first results came in, the Tories had held on to 18 local authorities.

The councils, which included Tamworth – the first local authority to reveal its result – are situated across the country, but the majority are located in the Tory heartland of south-east England.