Evening star., 1947-11-02
Churchill Party
Sweeps British
City Elections
Labor Loses Nearly
Half 1,475 Council
Seats to Rightists
BY the Associated Press

by me SsSOSlCicu TFess
LONDON, Sunday, Nov. a.
Britons, their belts frightened
and fun cut short, turned on
the Labor Party in municipal
elections yesterday and gave the
Conservatives what Tory leaders
iubilantly called an "overwhelm-
ing" victory.
The voting was to fill 1896 seats
on borough councils in 1872 cities
and towns of England and Wales,
which did not include London.
On the strength CT nearly COM
plete returns, Labor early today had
lost nearly half the 1,475 Socialist
held seats at stake, generally to
Conservatives and independents.
and had given up control of "a city
councils. Conservatives more than
doubled their previous 618 seats.
First Serious Defeat.
Although a Labor spokesman said
the setback was only temporary.
unouestionably Prime Minister Att
lees party had suffered its first
serious defeat since its landslide
licking of Winston Churchill's Con-
seryatives in the 1945 parliamentary
election.
Labor's performance in year OF
increasing auSterity had been made
the No. issue in a bitterly fought
campaign climaxed by what ap-
parently was the heaviest balloting
in 10 years of local elections.
Returns from 1856 of the 392
municipalities showed:
Conservatives gained 631 council
seats. lost II; Labor gained AZ. lost
683; Liberals gained 46, lost 46;
Communists gained non. lost nine;
Independents gained ITO, lost 1874.
Strength For Churchill.
In the face of the Conservatives
triumphant claim. General Secre-
tary Morgan Phillips of the Labor
Party early today said the election
results we're disappointing but little
more than a temporary setback"
"They are due" he said, ito a
most expensively organized Tory
national campaign to exploit the
nations difficulties and shortages"
There was little doubt that the
outcome would strengthen the at
tacks of Mr.. Churchill and his fol-
lowers on the government in the
House of Commons.
The only place where Labor
gained control of a new council
was Llanelly, Welch coal port. In
Bootle. Liverpool suburb, Labor won
equal representation with an anti
Labor coalition of Conservatives and
Independents.
Lose Manchester Control.
Labor's setbacks were reflected in
such Labor strongholds as Birming-
ham, where the Conservatives gained
eight seats to wipe out Labor's ma
jority on the municipal council. The
new strength is Labor 68, Conserva-
tives IS, Independents 8.
Labor also lost control of the
Manchester city council, although
in industrial Sheffield the govern
ment party gained four seats from
"Progressives" and strengthened its
topheavy majority.
While the Conservatives failed to
win control of many large industrial
cities, Labor's vote was cut to such
an extent that the Attlee party lost
previous maiorities in Rugby, Lin
coin, Reading, Rochester and the
London suburb of Wemley.
Less than an hour after midnight,
Conservative Party headquarters is
sued statement which said:
"The results so far available dis
close an overwhelming Conservative
victory. Although the returns from
some large boroughs still are
awaited, the wholesale rejection Of
Socialist doctrine throughout the
country indicates complete swing
of public opinion"
The British Press Association said:
1.-THE final returns may show a
switchover of public opinion in the
country almost as dramatic as when
labor swept into Office in the general
election more than two years ago"
Scotland Votes Tuesday.
This years municipal elections
will be- completed next Tuesday in
Scotland. Local elections in Britain
normally do not carry the weight in
national affairs they do on the con-
tinent, particularly in France, but
this time spokesmen for both parties
conceded that national issues were
a big consideration.
Some $4,000, 900 voters-about half
the number eligible for national
(See BRITAIN, Page A-5)
AnL..c:4sa. N.~..n>l