Voters rebuff Major in county council polls: Conservatives concede mistakes were made in Newbury by-election

JOHN MAJOR was last night facing a resounding double rebuke with deep humiliation for the Conservatives in the county council elections and the Tory blue-chip seat of Newbury set to fall to the Liberal Democrats' David Rendel by a 6,000-plus majority.

The Tories were heading for spectacular defeats in the elections for the 47 county councils in England and Wales, with the Liberal Democrats the biggest gainers. The Conservatives were sure of control in only one area, Buckinghamshire, and of losing it in 15 more, some with long Conservative traditions. Paddy Ashdown, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'This has been a devastating blow for the Conservatives. The country has no confidence in the Government.'

The defeat of Julian Davidson, the Conservative candidate at Newbury, due to be confirmed at about 3am today when counting ended, will show a substantial swing to the Liberal Democrats and a decisive rebuff to Mr Major. Left with an overall Commons majority of 19, some Conservative MPs hope the defeat will convince him to reshuffle his Cabinet this summer, with Norman Lamont, the Chancellor, first in line to go. The Prime Minister could even face disaffection from his own back benches. There have already been rumblings about a leadership challenge in the autumn. Tory morale plummeted still further last night with a Gallup/Daily Telegraph poll showing Labour with a comfortable 17-point lead.

Newbury and the council elections were the biggest tests of public opinion since last year's general election. In both cases, the strong anti-Conservative message follows campaigns that have turned heavily on national issues - the recession and job losses.

The Tories lost control of Somerset, Hampshire, East Sussex, Lincolnshire, Surrey and Kent. The night's results mean more hung councils, which may lead to new calls for co-operation between the political parties.

The Liberal Democrats scored a spectacular success when they gained control of Somerset, gaining 20 seats and wresting control from the Tories. They easily held the Isle of Wight, won Cornwall, and in many councils are placed to capture the balance of power. Labour did well, capturing about a quarter of the seats, although that was not reflected in terms of

control.

Sir Norman Fowler, chairman of the Conservative Party, said last night that the public had still not seen the signs of a full economic recovery. The results had no relevance in terms of a general election, he said.

In Kent the Tories lost control for the first time since 1958, while in Essex the Liberal Democrats doubled their number of seats from 15 to 30. In Oxfordshire the Tories lost seven seats, still leaving the council with no party in overall control. But the Greens have won their first county council seat. Labour gained Northamptonshire from the Conservatives and independents.

A Labour Party spokesman said: 'We are prepared to predict for the first time ever, Labour will have more county seats in England and Wales than the Conservatives.'

The return of a Liberal Democrat MP at the Newbury by-election will end 70 years of unbroken Conservative tenure in the part-urban, part-rural Berkshire constituency that reaped huge benefits from the Thatcher boom years only to be severely hit by the recession. Some Tories now privately regret that they did not attack the Liberal Democrats and their policies early, hard or consistently enough. It is also believed that Mr Davidson's upbeat 'talking up Newbury' campaign, emphasising the beginnings of economic recovery, was not accompanied by enough sympathy for the unemployed and bankrupt.

Mr Rendel, a Newbury resident and management consultant turned full-time local politician, fought an effective campaign highlighting the length and depth of the recession, the Black Wednesday debacle, VAT on domestic fuel and local issues.

Substantial numbers of Labour supporters Newbury are likely to have voted tactically for the Liberal Democrats, leaving Steve Billcliffe, the Labour candidate, set to finish a poor third. Peter Mandelson, campaign manager and the MP for Hartlepool, said: 'I would put up with losing our deposit as long as the Tories lost the seat.'

County council results 6