Local Elections 2022: First Minister Michelle O'Neill?

Ballot to Talk About

This week's episode looks back at results from across the UK, at both local elections in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Assembly election in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein have topped the polls and seat count, becoming the first nationalist party to do so in Northern Ireland’s history but doubts remain over whether a new executive can be formed. Why was Sinn Fein able to do so well? What was behind the dramatic fall of the DUP, and will they be able to recover? Is the surge of the Alliance Party likely to lead to institutional change to better support an unaligned bloc? And the key question – will government return to Stormont after these results?

Across the rest of the UK, the local elections were a bad night for Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party as they look to recover from the partygate scandal and emerging cost of living crisis. However, were they completely good news for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party who are looking to benefit from Conservative troubles and put themselves in a good position to lead the government in the next few years. Who are the biggest winners and losers from these local elections? Are the Lib Dems showing signs of recovery after the 2015 drubbing, and will they challenge Conservative MPs in the South of England? And do these results show any signs that Labour is recovering in their former heartlands? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast.

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