Britain's governing Conservative Party made strong gains in local elections on Friday, suggesting that Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy is winning over voters who should hand her an easy victory in a parliamentary election on June 8.
Early results in the polls, which voters often use as an opportunity to protest against the ruling party, showed May's Conservatives had gained more than 100 council seats and secured victory for their candidate as mayor for the West of England.
The main opposition Labour Party lost control of councils in Wales, but the biggest losses were suffered by the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party, which has struggled to find a new footing since the vote to leave the European Union last June.