The Tories have suffered heavy losses in the local elections as a jubilant Keir Starmer declared Labour was on the path to power.
Votes were held across more than 230 councils in England on Thursday with over 8,000 seats - last contested in 2019 during the dying days of Theresa May's Government - up for grabs.
Rishi Sunak's party has lost more than 1,000 councillors and control of 40 local authorities so far as his party faces attacks on multiple fronts from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Labour seized control of councils in the key battlegrounds of Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Dover, Swindon and Medway, which has been Tory since 1998.
Addressing activists in Kent, Mr Starmer said: "You didn't just get it over the line, you blew the doors off."
He hailed "fantastic results across the country" in "places we need to win", citing victories in Plymouth, Stoke and Middlesbrough.
"Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election," he said.
There were also breakthroughs for the Lib Dems and the Green Party - which won control of Mid Suffolk - the first council they have controlled outright.
A Tory source admitted it had been a "tough night" and said it was disappointing to lose so many hardworking councillors.
Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice also suggested their nightmare scenario may become reality, saying they "cannot be sure they won't end up losing 1,000 seats".
He said the results are "unambiguously bad news" for the Tories - but warned that Labour was "sharing the spoils" with other parties.
The PM was spotted heading into Tory HQ this morning clutching bags of bacon sarnies for staff.
Mr Sunak said: "It's always disappointing to lose hard-working Conservative councillors, they're friends, they're colleagues and I'm so grateful to them for everything they've done.
"In terms of the results, it's still early, we've just had a quarter of the results in, but what I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people's priorities - halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats.
"That's what people want us to do, that's what I'm going to keep hard at doing."
As results began to trickle in, the Tories lost control of councils in Tamworth and Brentford, while Labour replaced them as the largest party in Hartlepool.
In Tamworth - the seat of scandal-hit former Tory whip Chris Pincher - Labour made seven gains, pushing it from Conservative into no overall control.
Labour also took control of several areas it is targeting in the general election: Plymouth - in Tory Minister Johnny Mercer's seat - and Swindon, where Mr Starmer launched the party's campaign.
It also seized East Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent councils from the Tories and took over Blackpool from No Overall Control.
The Liberal Democrats have been buoyed after making gains from the Tories in the so-called Blue Wall.
After ousting the leader of Stratford upon Avon council, they mocked local MP and ex-minister Nadhim Zahawi for suffering a "Shakespearean tragedy" in his backyard.
The party also took control of Windsor and Maidenhead council from the Tories, a key victory in Theresa May's constituency.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey posed alongside a large cardboard clock in Windsor where he declared "Time's up for Rishi Sunak".
“Voters across the country have sent a clear message in these local elections, a message so loud that even someone as out of touch as Rishi Sunak can’t ignore it," he told activists.
“Time is up for Rishi Sunak and his appalling Conservative Government, we need a general election now. It’s clear that in many parts of the country, it’s the Liberal Democrats who can defeat the Conservatives and deliver a fair deal for the British people.”
The party also predicted a "big upset" in Surrey Heath, where Michael Gove is MP.
