Liberal Democrats hit in British local polls ahead of referendum

May 6, 2011, 7:06 GMT

London - Britain's Liberal Democrats, the junior partner in the Conservative-led coalition government, appear to have taken a battering in local and regional elections, according to results published early Friday.

The LibDems, led by Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, lost control of major cities in northern England, including Sheffield, which Clegg represents in the national parliament in London.

The LibDems have been in government with the Conservatives, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, for a year. Analysts said it appeared that voters had wanted to 'punish' the LibDems for failing to 'assert their position' sufficiently in the coalition.

Votes are still being counted following Thursday's elections to local councils in England, and to the regional parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The blow for the LibDems came ahead of the publication of the result of a separate referendum on Britain's voting system. In a nationwide referendum, Britons were asked Thursday whether they wanted to replace the traditional first-past-the-post system with the Alternative Vote (AV), a method of proportional representation.

The result of the referendum is due to be published later Friday.

Initial figures showed that the LibDems were down to a 15-per-cent share of the vote in the local elections - their worst result since the 1980s.

They also indicated that the opposition Labour party appears to have made considerable gain. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP), strengthened its position, initial results showed.