In a major boost to Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservatives have made sweeping gains in the local elections.

While Labour lost over 700 council seats, including control of Birmingham, for the first time in 20 years, the Tories gained more than 540 seats.

The Liberal Democrats took councils from both the Tories and Labour, and were estimated to have received a record of around 30 per cent of the vote.

The Conservatives won 35 per cent to Labour's 30, but fell well short of the numbers needed to mount a challenge at the next general election.

There was better news for Tony Blair however in Scotland and Wales.

Labour remains the biggest party in the Scottish parliament and in Wales the party won half of the 60 seats to secure a slender a working majority.

The British National Party won seven seats to become second largest in Burnley but its party leader, Nick Griffin, failed to win in Oldham.