Labour faces a drubbing at the May local elections in many regions outside London, a leaked internal memo reveals.
Party bosses are braced for “one of our worst local election performances in recent history” in England, with up to 315 councillors and nine councils lost.
The memo said Labour could lose control of Harlow, Plymouth and Amber Valley and on a bad night might struggle to keep hold of Southampton and possibly even Sheffield.
It was written by researchers on the party’s targeting and analysis team and leaked to the BBC.
A Labour spokesman said: “We recognise the scale of the challenge we face on May 7 and we will be fighting for every vote in the local elections.”
