Birmingham's political future is 'hard to predict'

The political map of Birmingham now resembles a rainbow.

The largest unitary council in the UK has gone to no overall control, its political future hard to predict.

As of 23:00 BST on Friday there were two seats left to count in the Glebe Farm and Tile Cross ward. Having run out of time, the returning officer announced the team would be back at the Utilita Arena on Monday to finish the job.

Counting cannot resume before Tuesday because of other bookings - psychedelic rock act Tame Impala are playing on Saturday night.

Reform UK are the largest single group, with 22 of the 101 seats, far below the 51 necessary for an overall majority and just behind them are the Greens who took 19 surpassing the former ruling Labour group who once held 65 seats in the second city.

Labour appear to be casualties of not just the national mood, but also financial hardship and an all-out bin strike nearly into its 15th month.

The Conservatives held firm in their heartlands in leafy Sutton Coldfield, but lost seats to Reform elsewhere - including in the south, in the areas in and around the former Rover plant in Longbridge.

Despite investing in a fairly serious ground operation in the second city the Liberal Democrats held their ground but failed to make gains.

Meanwhile, independents campaigning in largely Muslim areas won a handful of seats in wards the Labour Party could once rely on.

What happens now is a head-scratcher.

No two parties working together have enough seats to take control. It will need to be three, or even four and the Venn diagram of what these groups agree on is limited.

West Midlands' Labour mayor Richard Parker acknowledged the "hurt" from the results.

"This region has taken an economic battering for generations. Jobs that were here haven't come back. High streets that were thriving aren't what they were," he said.

He said the message from voters was that they wanted to see things improved and for that to be done quickly.

"I want people to have hope about the future and hope for the place where they live. And that will continue to be my focus everyday," he added.

Home Secretary and Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood described it as a "devastating night".

She added on X: "The PM has rightly said we must do better.

"It is a privilege to serve the British people and we must live up to it."

But there were huge celebrations among the Green candidates who were one of the biggest winners from the election.

"People are desperate for change," Julien Pritchard, new councillor for Druids Heath, said.

"People want hope things can get better, things can be different."

On the future of the council given the current uncertainty, he said: "We'll always work for the best interests of residents across the city and do the best we can for Birmingham's communities and residents.

In Stirchley, Green candidate Kamel Hawwash took the ward from Labour's Mary Locke.

On the prospect of working with Reform councillors, he said: "I've been speaking to some of them today [Friday], obviously we have our major differences.

"I don't know what their stance is going to be about working with other people but I think there will be others we can work with before we have to worry about Reform."

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