A Tory councillor in Salford has called for a general election as soon as possible to put an end to the “stale” Conservative government. Bob Clarke, who was re-elected in the Boothstown and Ellenbrook ward today, blasted the national Conservative Party for their performance while in power. He said the local elections were a “disaster”, with a lack of clear policy or direction from the government. His comments came following Salford’s local elections results today, where the Conservatives lost a council seat in the Worsley and Westwood Park ward to Labour, which is an area that has been traditionally dominated by the Tories. Salford mayor Paul Dennett said the result was an indication that Labour can win over voters in Conservative heartlands. In the Boothstown and Ellenbrook ward, Coun Clarke won comfortably with more than 2,000 votes, with a majority of around 1,200 over Labour. Mr Clarke told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m chuffed and humbled I managed to get the amount of votes I did, we work at it all year not just April. “It’s very disappointing overall, but Labour threw absolutely everything at it, and we just haven’t got the manpower to fight that off. “Nationally, it’s been a disaster, there’s a lack of anything – policy or direction – from the government, they’re just stagnant and something needs to change and quickly. “I think they should call a general election and put an end to it as quickly as possible, because this is just not good enough. “I think we’ve got nothing new to offer, they need to have a general election, we should regroup and go back to our traditional values and come back better.” A general election is expected to be called later this year or by January 2025 at the latest, with national opinion polls predicting a comfortable Labour victory overall. Elsewhere in Salford’s local election results, the Lib Dems dealt a blow to Labour by winning a second seat in the Salford Quays ward. But it hasn’t changed the overall Labour dominance of the town hall in Salford, which now has 50 Labour councillors, seven Conservatives, two Lib Dems, and one independent.
