Ealing Council’s Conservative group leader believed the prime minister would say Ealing Conservative councillors worked hard, despite another local election defeat to Labour.

Gregory Stafford, leader of the Conservative opposition on Ealing Council and councillor for Hanger Hill ward, shared that the national Conservative Party were not involved in the recent local election campaign.

On May 3, Labour gained four seats from the Conservative party at this year’s local election, bringing the party totals in Ealing Council to 57 Labour councillors, eight Conservative and four Liberal Democrats.

Speaking after the election, Mr Stafford said: “I know Theresa May would say that we worked bloody hard.

“For us, we wanted to fight a local campaign and we did. We had all the support that we needed from the central party, but we were fighting a local campaign and therefore we didn’t want them involved in any overt way.

“If you’re fighting a local campaign you want to talk about local issues and not be distracted by the national issues, but they’re not ones that that the local council has any control over.”

The Conservative councillors who lost their seat this year are Ian Philip Proud in Cleveland ward, Roz Reece who represented Ealing Common, Fabio Conti and Theresa Mullins, both of Northfield ward.

Mr Stafford added: “I could not have asked more of any of our candidates. We were up against a national swing that we could see from months ago, if not years ago.

“They performed fabulously and I couldn’t ask any more of them. They put their heart and soul into it and therefore it’s even more disappointing for me, and them, that they didn’t get elected.

“But they are hardy fellows and women and they will be back.”

This is the third consecutive local election in Ealing borough that has seen the Conservative party lose seats directly to Labour. In 2006, the Conservative party had 37 seats, which decreased to 24 seats in 2010. By 2014, a further 12 seats were won by Labour bringing the Conservative party’s seat total to 12.

Mr Stafford took over as opposition leader from David Millican after 2014, and 2018’s election results saw a further four seats move over to Labour. 

Following the outcome and looking towards the future, he said that he did not foresee any significant structural changes locally.

He said: “I don’t think anyone could honestly say that this was not going to be a tough election in London.

“We very much focussed our campaign on local issues, whereas Labour focussed on national issues and I think that paid off for them.

"For me, it’s about this Labour Council.

"For the last eight years has wasted money, has driven down services and abused its majority and let the residents of Ealing down.

“Our goal and ambition over the next 4 years will be to hold them to account for that waste, highlight it to the residents of Ealing and if we can, get them to stop doing that and look after the tax payers money better.

“I think we’ve proved over the last few years that we do have influence - we stopped the closure of the libraries and we managed to get together the biggest petition that has ever been signed in Ealing.

"We also stopped the closure of the Solace Centre, a mental health unit.”

On the performance of the prime minister, Mr Stafford said: “Theresa May is doing a fabulous job under some very difficult circumstances I think. And long may she continue to lead the party nationally and be prime minister.

“What I would say is that the national party has a much greater focus on London and perhaps hadn’t impacted enough and quickly enough for this election.

“I’m certain for the mayoral election in two years’ time and the local election – and whenever potentially the general election is – in five years’ time, we will see a much more cohesive London branded Conservative party.

“They’ll still have their individual parts and their individual issues that they’ll want to talk about, but I think we’ll see a much more holistic London Conservative party, as Labour does.

"Labour is very good at fighting London as London.”