CARLISLE’S Member of Parliament has blamed Downing Street controversies for the Conservative Party’s disappointing results at the ballot box.

The city MP John Stevenson said that “there’s no doubt” Downing Street controversies such as the partygate scandal had an impact on election night last Thursday.

Mr Stevenson said: “You got it on the doorstep.”

Senior Labour councillor Colin Glover told the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the count that the cost of living crisis was the issue that came up the most on the campaign trail.

Election night saw the Conservatives win just seven seats on the new Cumberland Council which covers Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland.

Labour are set to take control with 30 seats winning over previous Conservative strongholds like Yewdale.

The Liberal Democrats took four seats including Stanwix, also a previous Conservative stronghold.

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Mr Stevenson said: “If you actually analyse the results, Labour didn’t do particularly well. The benefactors tend to be Liberal Democrats and Greens. If you look at the results I don’t think they were that great for London, although they did well in our area there’s a lot of reasons for that.”

Leader of the Conservative-led Carlisle City Council John Mallinson also railed against the Prime Minister after last week’s election count.

Councillor Mallinson was elected to the Houghton and Irthington seat on the new Cumberland unitary council but said he has “lost some very good people” from the party due to public anger over partygate.

Mr Stevenson renewed his call for the Prime Minister to face a vote of no confidence after receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching his own lockdown restrictions.

“I just think this is dragging on. I don’t think it’s good for politics, for the country.”

Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer has received similar pressure to resign after seemingly being pictured at a gathering during lockdown.

Sir Keir, who was vocal in his criticism of front-bench MPs for their breaches, has received claims of hypocrisy.

The Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition announced this week that if handed a Fixed Penalty Notice by Durham Police, he will resign.

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