Lib Dems punished by voters

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The Liberal Democrats have been largely chased out of northern England following a series of extremely bad local council results while the Conservatives appear to have escaped punishment.

Voters appear to have deserted the Lib Dems in large numbers over its decision to enter coalition with the Conservatives securing just 15 per cent of the local election vote losing nearly 500 councillors with some seats still being counted.

The party has lost a large number of councillors and with it control of Hull, Stockport and Liverpool.

Lib Dems were wiped out in Manchester where Labour picked up all 33 seats up for grabs.

And in Leeds the Labour Party took control of the council, gaining seven seats, as the Lib Dem vote collapsed.

The party has also been overtaken by Labour as the largest party in Sheffield – Nick Clegg's back yard.

Speaking this morning Clegg said the results in the north of England reflected an "anxiety" about the coalition's deficit reduction plans and "strong memories of what life was like under Thatcher in the 1980s".

He said the Lib Dems needed to show they were in government to ensure "we don't go back as a country but that we go forwards".

Simon Hughes said Clegg's unpopularity in Sheffield would have contributed to the Lib Dems losing the council.

"Any anti-Nick view will be exemplified most in Sheffield,” he said."Nick has become the issue in Sheffield."

The comments were particularly damning as party leaders are usually an asset in local contests rather than a hindrance.

Hughes, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said his party would continue lose in the north of England if they were perceived to be like the Conservatives. He said voters in the region wanted the party to be a "radical, bluntly left of centre" alternative to the Tories.

Lib Dem president Tim Farron admitted it had been a "very unpleasant night" for the party and said local councillors were “being dealt a blow because of the national situation".

And the Lib Dem Scottish secretary Michael Moore said the party knew all along entering into coalition with the Conservatives would be a "tough gig".

But despite the losses, Lord Rennard, the former chief executive of the Lib Dems, said the party was doing well in the south of England. "We're holding and winning on the south coast," he said.

The Conservatives have escaped the fate of their coalition partners and have even picked up council seats in England in what could be a very good set of results for David Cameron.

The prime minister said the Conservative vote share had held up and because Conservative councils and councillors had “done a good job up and down the country providing quality services and keeping their costs and their tax bills under control”.

“I also think we fought a strong campaign explaining why we need to take difficult decisions to sort out the mess we inherited from Labour,” he said.

The day is likely to get better for Cameron, and worse for Clegg, as voters are expected to overwhelmingly reject a change in the voting system.

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