MPs tells Brown to heed poll warning

Last Modified: 02 May 2008
By: Channel 4 News

Reaction to local election results in England and Wales as Labour faces worst results for 40 years.

Gordon Brown, Labour party leader

"It has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night for Labour."

Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats' leader

"We have outpolled Labour for only the second timed in our party's history, and crucially we have been winning against both Labour and the Conservatives. Politics is very much on the move. It is much more fluid than it has been for many, many years. Everything is up for grabs."

David Cameron, Conservative Party leader

"I don't believe ever in politics there are heartlands that are unwinnable. No seat is entirely safe."

Paul Murphy, Welsh Secretary

"We have to redouble our efforts."

Cheryl Gillan, Shadow Welsh secretary

"Labour's performance at last year's Welsh Assembly elections was a disaster - today they're even worse They went backwards at the last local elections in Wales, they went backwards in the Assembly elections, and now they are going back even further."

Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, Labour

"We are there to help [Gordon Brown,] if he is listening. He must come and tell us right away that despite all the bad mistakes of the past weeks over tax, we can get it right again.

"It's a real challenge. We deserve to be there, we've done so many good things and we can carry on doing that."

Charles Clarke, Norwich South MP

"We have got to get our act together. We have to get our message and purpose across in a more convincing way than we have done."

Harriet Harman, Labour deputy leader

"These are disappointing results and we recognise the difficult economic context with people feeling the pinch."

Ivan Lewis, health minister

"Of course you need to reassure people that you are on their side; of course you need to make it clear that you are the servants of the people and not their masters.

"You need to be absolutely clear about the mainstream majority's definition of fairness and standing up for hard-working families."

George Osborne, shadow chancellor

A truly shocking night for Labour.

Andy Burnham, culture secretary

"To make the comparison between the Major government of the early 90s and the position we are in today, we actually are well placed to withstand the economic uncertainty.

"I would say we have a very united cabinet and Labour Party."

Peter Kellner, president of polling firm YouGov

"This is an anti-Labour mood not a positive Conservative mood."