Labour suffers in London

Labour suffered a huge defeat in London's local elections, losing control of Camden for the first time since 1968.

The Conservative Party made sweeping gains in the capital, winning 14 of the 32 boroughs. Labour lost at least 10 town halls including Merton, Lewisham, Hammersmith and Fulham and Brent.

Worse still, Labour lost its heartland of Camden to no overall control, while the Tories claimed the bellwether borough of Ealing, where local votes have reflected the general election result for the past 40 years.

David Cameron' s party won Croydon, Bexley and Hammersmith and Fulham from Labour and gained Harrow and Hillingdon, which had been under no overall control.

The Tories also retained control of Westminster, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea, Redbridge, Bromley, Enfield, Havering and Barnet.

Labour won Lambeth council back from no overall control, following a period of Tory and Lib Dem coalition.

Labour held the councils of Hackney, Greenwich, Haringey, and Barking and Dagenham but with losses to the Liberal Democrats and BNP in the latter two respectively.

It remained the biggest party in Tower Hamlets, seeing off a challenge from the anti-war Respect.

The Lib Dems held three councils – Richmond, Sutton and Kingston – but lost Islington.

The BNP gained 11 seats in Barking and Dagenham and one in Redbridge, while the Greens gained nine seats, including five in Lewisham.

Nine councils, including Southwark and Waltham Forest, have no overall controlling party.

In Camden, council leader Raj Chadha was among those who lost his seat. He told BBC London: "I regret that the national circumstances meant a very good council in Camden has been lost."