UK Conservatives lose London strongholds, in blow to Johnson

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s governing Conservatives have suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds. Voters turned out Thursday to decide thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils. The opposition Labour Party won control of three London boroughs long held by the Conservatives, and the Conservatives lost at least 350 seats overall. The results released Friday will pile more pressure on Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid ethics scandals and a worsening economic picture in which food and fuel prices have soared. In Northern Ireland, polls suggested the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein could win the largest number of seats in what would be a historic first. Full results there are not expected until Saturday.