Ukip faces wipeout as pro-Brexit voters flock to Theresa May's Tories at local elections

Ukip is facing humiliation at the ballot box as pro-Brexit voters back Theresa May's Conservatives in droves at the local elections across England.

Early results have seen Paul Nuttall's party fail to hold a single seat as Eurosceptic heartlands, including Lincolnshire, Hampshire and Essex, turn Tory. Ukip is defending 145 seats in total in England, with 30 already lost at the time of reporting.

The results are particularly bad for Nuttall, who is contesting the Lincolnshire seat of Boston and Skegness at the general election on 8 June.

But Steven Woolfe MEP, a former Ukip leadership favourite, looks vindicated. He infamously predicted that the party faces a "death spiral" after he quit Ukip in 2016.

The results also indicate that Brexit voters seem to share the view of former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell. He declared "job done" after securing the Leave vote at the EU referendum and quitting Ukip.

The early local elections results also spell bad news for Labour. Jeremy Corbyn's party has lost 119 seats, while the Conservatives have gained 150.

"It hasn't been the wipeout that some were predicting," Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told Sky News on Friday morning.

Elsewhere, Tory Tim Bowles has been elected metro mayor for the West of England and former John Lewis boss and Conservative candidate Andy Street could beat Labour's Sion Simon to become the new mayor of the West Midlands.

Ex-Labour minister Andy Burnham is favourite to become Greater Manchester metro mayor and Jeremy Corbyn ally Steve Rotheram is expected to pick up the Liverpool City Region.

The mayors, much like the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, will oversee combined local authorities, with powers over housing, transport and economic development. More results are expected throughout the morning and afternoon.