Zittrex Store

At some point during the COVID pandemic, tech millionaire Steve Kirsch went from donating to progressive causes, supporting Democratic politicians and funding the search for a cure to being a top anti-vaccine misinformation spreader who hangs out with Steve Bannon. He’s been on that jag since then, writing a wacky anti-vax blog with entries about “turbo cancer” and funding RFK’s presidential campaign.

Recently he decided that perhaps vaccines are responsible for the fact that there seem to be more gay, trans and nonbinary people around these days. You know, other than people stopped feeling like they had to hide who they are. So he decided to take a survey of the people who read his blog, in order to determine whether or not his theory was true or not.

Yesterday, he published the results of this very scientific survey in a post titled
“Survey indicates sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender dysphoria are all primarily caused by vaccination.”

And boy, is he ever sure of his results!

Thanks to your help in responding to my last survey, it took less than 3 hours to answer the question as to whether sexual orientation, gender identity and gender dysphoria are influenced by vaccines.

The answer to all three is yes: the greater someone is vaccinated, the more likely they are to exhibit each of these traits.

For all three measures, the odds ratios were 4.8 or higher which means that the attributable fraction is 79.2%.

In other words, vaccines are responsible for nearly 80% of the effect size.

So the mystery is over. We now know the cause.

Now, there is a reason why, when we conduct surveys like this, that they pick random samples of people, rather than just survey a bunch of folks who all read the same weird conspiracy blog about how vaccines are bad and scary. Or any blog, really! Like, if we ran an opinion poll asking you guys who you were going to vote for come November, the data for that might be a little skewed.

So here’s how it went. People could fill out the survey for themselves or others — family, friends, someone they ran into at the grocery store. They were asked to estimate what percentage of vaccines they or the other person had received, which seems like a less than precise measure, whether their mother received vaccines while pregnant or if they got a Vitamin K shot after they were born.

You can see you this could go a little awry! There are a lot of people just there saying, more or less, “Yes, I know an LGBTQ+ person who was vaccinated!”

Indeed, out of the 668 people who answered for others rather than themselves, only 53 of them answered for people who were both straight and cisgender. Out of the 516 people who answered for themselves, only 40 said they did not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth at any point in their life, and 144 said they were not straight and only 23 said they were not happy with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Now, I don’t mean to rain on Kirsch’s data parade, but if nearly all of the country has had their required vaccines, it would stand to reason that nearly all LGBTQ+ were also vaccinated. Therefore, there can’t be any causation. There’s not even any correlation. You may as well say that vaccine causes heterosexuality, because the majority of straight people are also vaccinated. Hell, you could say being vaccinated makes you more likely to have curly hair or large feet or develop diverticulitis or pierce your ears for all the sense this makes.

The sheer prevalence of people who have been vaccinated versus those who have not means that it simply would not be possible to create any data set at all that would “prove” they make people gay or trans or anything else. There are just too many factors. That and it’s a pretty stupid theory to begin with.

I have to thank Kirsch for sharing the actual data from his survey, largely because it is hilarious and the “notes” section is a goldmine.

First, you’ve got a whole lot of people people who are just mad because their LGBTQ+ liberal friends and relatives don’t want to talk to them anymore, because of how they are bigots.

“We are estranged from our daughter because of the politics of the LGBTQ community turning her mind against us. Therefore I am not sure how many shots she has gotten. I answered 25-75% because we had her get all the childhood vaccinations. All three of our kids developed almost immediately Tourette Syndromex [sic] ASD, ADHD, anxiety. OCD, PDD, and ODD. Medications during their school years only served to trigger new unwanted conditions. 

Was it the “politics of the LGBTQ community turning her mind against” you or was it because you appear to have been giving her and your other kids the Gypsy Rose Blanchard treatment? And what do any of those diagnoses have to do with gender or sexuality?

Grandparent reporting. Not allowed contact due to our unwillingness to adopt new name and pronouns. As a result not sure about some answers. But this child is mildly autistic and was bullied at school. Received C19 vax and went downhill from there.

This person knows someone who identifies as trans.

This is a survey for my daughters friend who is female and demands everyone call her male

You’ve also got people who do not appear to have understood the question or the point of the survey at all.

This child has always been a very picky eater. He had bad thrush at birth which did not respond to natural treatments and we ended up using mercurochrome.

The blood type of both my parents, both my mother and father, is A. Meanwhile, I have blood type O. I know this. When I was 16 years old when I graduated from high school. Did the Saint world study prove that he could change his blood type? The reason they gave was that I was diligent in exercising when I was 16 years old and didn’t touch cigarettes or drinks

Person had a traumatic event as a teenager. Their mother was murdered & this person came home to find their mother deceased.

Several appear to have had their timelines mixed up and are just naming gay or trans people they know who got the COVID vaccine, we assume, well after they came out.

My kind and gentle daughter was groomed at St Michael’s College Burlington, VT to identify as a lesbian and be the first Gender Studies Major in the school’s history. She was also gullible enough to receive at least 3 Covid Vaccines! 

Look, I’m not going to call that college up to find out how long they’ve had that as a major, but it seems like would be really hard for any one person to be the first anything major at a college. Like she was alone in all her classes? That can’t be right.

Many of them just used it to vent about gay or trans people in general.

There are only two genders. Always have been. Always will be. Stop this gender dysphoria garbage right now.

Others were just straight up unhinged.

You need to separate the many layers of Simulacra that’s been casted over your mind from the simulation you are incubating within and come back to the first principles of what’s actually unfolding for humanity. That’s where you’ll find your answers. Even more fundamental, you’ll be able to innovate the solution to this whole global mess that all parts of power are fighting for control of.

Sincerely,

We The Screamers

And this person who … boy, I don’t know.

Western values are being destroyed daily most of the problems do not really exist except when demons and butchers say they do. Since the being of time men have been attracted to men Ann woman woman. The loons pushing all this sex change bull shit need to be brought to book they all have hidden evil agendas

This one even brought chemtrails into it!

Chemtrails may play a role in either mRNA levels, or graphene, aluminum, strontium, barium levels. Very difficult to avoid nano-scale particles.

Someone get them an orgone blaster, stat!

Donate Just Once!

This is not a survey — or it’s at least not a survey with any chance of getting accurate results for the population as a whole. It’s a survey like when I ask people on Twitter which ridiculously titled Lifetime movie I should watch. More than anything, it appears to be a forum for people to complain about the fact that they know people who are not straight or cisgender.

I am sure that Steve Kirsch is a hell of a lot smarter than I am when it comes to technological things. I’ve yet to really get beyond “Turn it off and then turn it back on again.” But a vaccine expert or social scientist he is not (I am also neither of those things, but I also don’t claim to be).

We have decided to conduct our own scientifically accurate poll, to determine whether people who have been vaccinated prefer dogs or cats. Surely, this will produce some fascinating and accurate results!

PREVIOUSLY:

Counting continues in the 2024 local elections, with a string of strong Labour council and regional mayoral results in key general election targets areas on Friday, even as the party lost the Tees mayor race and both Oldham and Kirklees amid rows over Gaza.

Labour sources said on Friday evening the party was continuing its winning streak in key battlegrounds needed to win the general election, performing well beyond what is needed in key marginals to gain a majority. It has a nine-point lead over the Tories in the BBC’s current projected national vote share, the same as in 2023, though this could change with further results on Friday.

The party chalked up significant wins including the third biggest postwar Tory-Labour swing in the Blackpool South by-election. Labour expects to gain the new East Midlands mayoralty and has won the new York and North Yorkshire mayoralty in Rishi Sunak’s “backyard”, and saw off a left challenge for the North East mayoralty.

Read our rolling tally of Labour’s council control gains and losses so far here. Keir Starmer’s party not only reversed past troubles in Hartlepool but also gained control in closely watched battlegrounds such as Hyndburn, Thurrock, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Redditch, Milton Keynes, Cannock Chase, Adur, Tamworth and  Rushmoor – where it has never won a majority before.

Labour expects to lose in the West Midlands tomorrow and lost the Tees Valley mayoral race, however, though made sizeable vote gains in the latter. The party narrowly missed out on taking target Harlow, lost control of Oldham and Kirklees, and lost four seats in Newcastle, with concerns about the party’s Gaza stance costing votes.

Keep refreshing this page for updates, and send us anything we should be including here, big or small, serious or silly, on record or not: email [email protected] or DM us on X.

Summary of key developments so far:

---

8.25pm: Liveblog closed

That’s it from the LabourList team today, but we’ll be back with more updates tomorrow on the site. Thanks to everyone who followed along today!

8.15pm: Labour gains nine PCC positions so far

Labour has so far gained nine of the police and crime commissioner roles up for election – and retained all of the positions it already held. Our full story, detailing each of the results, is here.

7.40pm: Labour ‘must regain Muslims’ trust’ as Gaza hits votes and ‘bigotry’ row erupts

The chair of the Labour Muslim Network has warned Labour has “so much work to do with regaining the trust of Muslim voters”, as the party’s Gaza stance appeared to dent local election support in some areas and a row erupted over “Islamophobia” claims. Full story here.

7.25pm: Final results for Tamworth

The final results in Tamworth have been confirmed, with the BBC reporting that Labour gained nine seats to take its total on the council to 18, while the Tories lost nine, falling to eight councillors. Labour claimed victory in the contest just over an hour ago, before all the result were yet to be announced.

7.20pm: Labour holds councils up and down the country

More Labour holds have been announced in councils up and down the country – with the party seeing notable gains in councils already under its control including Stevenage, Sandwell and Crawley, the BBC reports.

The party has also retained control in councils including Rotherham, Wolverhampton, Trafford, Coventry, Bury and Calderdale.

7.10pm: Hastings and Pendle remain in no overall control

Hastings council has remained in no overall control, with the Greens gaining eight councillors to take their total to 12, according to the BBC. The Labour group has faced a series of councillor resignations in recent months, including the council’s former leader.

According to the BBC, Labour lost two seats compared with its result in 2021, taking its total to eight, while the number of Independents on the council saw no change on seven. The Tories lost six councillors.

Elsewhere, Pendle council also remained in no overall control – and without any Labour councillors. All of the party’s borough councillors resigned from the party last month after accusing Labour of “bullying tactics” to “suppress” free speech.

The new make-up of the council following these elections is 13 Tories, 12 Independents and eight Liberal Democrats, according to the BBC.

6.20pm: Lowdown on the state of play as of Friday early evening

Labour sources said on Friday evening the party was continuing its winning streak in key battlegrounds needed to win the general election, performing well beyond what is needed in key marginals to gain a majority.

With 87 of 107 councils declared, Labour had returned 923 councillors as of early Friday evening, up 144. It had gained a net seven councils. The Tories had lost 354 seats and six councils. The Lib Dems gained 66 councillors, the Greens 44, independents 83 and the Workers’ Party four.

Labour also had a nine-point lead over the Tories in the BBC’s projected national vote share late afternoon, the same as in 2023, though this could change with further results and both Labour and Tories were one point down each on last year.

6.10pm: Labour ‘gains Tamworth’ from no overall control

5.50pm: No change in Oxford but Labour loses seats amid Gaza row

Oxford council remains in no overall control, but Labour lost five seats as independents and the Greens gained ground.

Labour had seen a string of councillors quit over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, with anger over the party not backing an immediate ceasefire.

5.40pm: ‘People voting Labour for first time in their lives’ on south coast

Labour parliamentary candidate Tom Rutland told us the win earlier in Adur, which Labour now controls for the first time ever, is “phenomenal”.

The candidate in East Worthing and Shoreham, which maps onto Adur on the south coast, said: “Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party and we are winning wards we have never won before. So many people told us they’d be voting Labour for the first time in their lives and it appears that they did just that.

“It is a resounding endorsement of the smart approach Cllr Jeremy Gardner has taken and he will be a fantastic leader of Adur’s first ever majority Labour council.”

Labour parliamentary candidate Tom Rutland told us: ‘This is a phenomenal set of results. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party and we are winning wards we have never won before. So many people told us they’d be voting Labour for the first time in their lives and it appears that they did just that.

“It is a resounding endorsement of the smart approach Cllr Jeremy Gardner has taken and he will be a fantastic leader of Adur’s first ever majority Labour council.’

Full story here.

5:30pm: Labour gain Cannock Chase

Labour won 11 seats to gain this West Midlands council from no overall control. The Tories lost 11 seats.

 

5:07pm: Labour’s Nuneaton triumph

Read more about Labour’s remarkable victory in the bellwether seat – the party gained 15 seats while the Tories lost 14 seats – in my colleague Katie’s story here.

5pm: Labour paints new metro mayor map red – full story

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are in York and North Yorkshire celebrating Labour’s victory in the new mayoralty and rubbing it in for the Tories, one of three new posts Labour has won alongside the East Midlands and North East posts.

Reeves said the victory in York and North Yorkshire showed there were “no no-go areas”, and Labour officials noted it was a real success story in Rishi Sunak’s “back yard”.

Labour will be pleased to make such gains in contests for elected roles with some of the biggest mandates among any politicians, showing the growing metro mayoral map – set in motion by Tory chancellor George Osborne – is turning increasingly red despite a setback in Tees Valley.

Read full story here on Labour gains in metro mayoralties…

4.50pm: Labour comfortably wins national projected vote share – but declines on 2023 – full story

The BBC has unveiled its projected national vote share based on this year’s local elections, putting Labour on 34% – nine point up on the Tories, but one point down on its estimated share in the last two sets of elections.

The BBC’s projected national share – which estimates the share of the vote the main parties would have won if voters across Britain had behaved in the same way as those who voted in wards contested by all three main parties in this year’s locals – puts Labour on 34%, the Tories on 25%, the Lib Dems on 17% and others on 24%.

Read full story here, including decades of historic data…

4.40pm: Labour loses control in Kirklees after two councillors quit over Gaza

Labour had won back Kirklees in 2022, but it now has 31 seats, down five, leaving it still the largest party but with no overall majority.

It comes after two councillors quit the party over its stance on Gaza earlier this year.

4.20pm: Historic win in Milton Keynes; biggest party in Basildon and North Herts

Labour has won an important victory in Milton Keynes, the first Labour majority on the Buckinghamshire council in 29 years.

Councillor Shanika Mahendran wrote recently for LabourList the area is “entwined with the history” of Labour, from being a successful postwar new town to hosting the Labour-created Open University.

The party has governed in coalition with the Lib Dems since 2014, and Mahendran set out some of the wide-ranging achievements that might have helped Labour over the line – from supporting its tech economy to progressive welfare and climate policies. She also set out its vision, including breakfast clubs for schools city-wide. It’s worth a read here.

Labour is also now the largest party in Basildon and North Hertfordshire, with the former falling to no overall control from Tory hands.

4:05pm: Labour holds Rossendale

Labour holds the Lancashire council.

4:00pm: Labour predicts victory in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Labour predicts it will take Nuneaton and Bedworth council – Nuneaton being a traditional bellwether Westminster constituency.

3:44pm: Labour hold Leeds and Manchester

Two not exactly shocking holds for Labour in the north of England.

3:10pm: Labour hold Rochdale

This is good news given George Galloway’s victory in February’s by-election and his pledge to target the town hall. His Workers’ Party managed 2 seats, while Labour lost a seat but kept control of the council.

2:50pm: First bits of data from London

We won’t get results from the London mayoral until tomorrow – expected around 3pm – but we do have some by-elections to extrapolate wildly from. In Hillingdon East the picture not great for Labour, adding to a general feeling of nervousness amongst members and activists in the capital, but in Hillrise ward on Islington council things are more secure, with Labour taking 2824 votes to the 2nd place Greens, who scored 1095 votes.

 

2:45pm: Labour achieve “historic win” in Adur – full story here.

Labour has called Adur on the south coast, claiming victory for the first time in the council’s history.

The result is notable too with the general election in mind as the district includes the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency, held by the Tories since its creation.

Labour seized control in neighbouring Worthing in 2022, and gained three councillors there this week.

2:30pm: Labour gain York and North Yorkshire mayor

Labour believes its candidate David Skaith has taken the new mayoralty, an area that covers Rishi Sunak’s seat.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This is a truly historic result in York and North Yorkshire. Keir Starmer’s Labour party is now winning in Rishi Sunak’s backyard. The Prime Minister’s own constituents have taken a look at the two parties and chosen Labour.”

2:15pm: Kim McGuinness elected North East mayor

They were incoming! Labour’s candidate has been elected with 185,051 votes. Driscoll took 126,652 votes. My colleague Daniel Green has more details on the new mayor here.

2:12pm: North East mayor results incoming

We’re expecting the results of the North East mayoral contest shortly. From reporting in advance, it seems fairly likely that Labour’s Kim McGuinness will be elected, beating Jamie Driscoll, the former Labour mayor of North Tyne, who has run as an independent.

2:07pm: PCC gain in Wales

Jane Mudd has been elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent. The party also expects its candidate Emma Wools to win the South Wales PCC post. They will be the first female PCCs in Wales.

2:03pm: Labour holds Worthing, Knowsley

BBC reports Labour has held Worthing and Knowsley – neither unexpected results.

1:58pm: Labour predicts victory in Milton Keynes

Labour think’s it’s taken full control of the council in Milton Keynes, which has 3 target Westminster seats – all currently Conservative held. Labour haven’t had full control since 2000.

1:34pm: Bedfordshire PCC gain

Labour’s John Tizard has won the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner race, not one Labour expected to pick up, I understand.

1:28pm: Labour wins Hyndburn as Tory MP’s dad loses seat

Labour has just won a major victory in Lancashire’s Hyndburn council, currently in no overall control with Labour second largest party behind the Tories. Labour made four gains and lost one seat to the Greens.

The Tories hold the constituency by only a few thousand votes too, so it’s one to watch ahead of the general election.

Labour gains included narrowly ousting the father of the local Tory MP. One local source called it “huge” in a “Tory stronghold” ward.

1:15pm: Labour predict victory in East Midlands

Labour thinks its candidate Clare Ward has beaten the incumbent Tory Ben Bradley in the East Midlands Mayoralty.
Labour source calls the East Midlands “the beating heart of the general election battleground”, highlighting that the area covers dozen key parliamentary battleground seats – including Mansfield, Bradley’s own seat, Bolsover, South Derbyshire, and Bassetlaw.

In an exclusive interview with LabourList in the final days of the local election campaign, deputy campaign coordinator Ellie Reeves had said the new East Midlands mayoralty would be a “better barometer” of the national mood than other mayoral contests.

The combined authority area covers Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

1:10pm: Councils won and lost

Check out our full list of councils won and lost in the 2024 local elections – full story here.

1:00pm: Labour condemns “racist” quote

Labour has distanced itself from the quote that Labour Muslim Network Chair Ali Milani had described as racist, echoing this description with a spokesperson telling the BBC: “The Labour party has strongly condemned this racist quote which has not come from anyone who is speaking on behalf of the party or who’s values are welcome in the party”.

12:55pm: Labour’s future prospects in Tees Valley seats look bright

Labour may have lost in Tees Valley today, but Labourlist understands that if the swing to the party (16.7%) was repeated at the General Election, Labour would win every single seat in the Tees Valley and gain:

Darlington
Hartlepool
Redcar
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Stockton West

12:51pm: Labour hold Wakefield and Barnsley

The party have held councils in Wakefield and Barnsley.

12:48pm: Unhappiness over briefing

Labour Muslim Network chair Ali Milani is among those unhappy with the briefing around the West Mids election (see 12:15), which he’s described as “racist”.

12:45pm:  Support our local and general election coverage

A message from the editor: We provide our content free to all, but quality journalism is expensive. The LabourList team has been working hard throughout the night and will be throughout the weekend to bring you the latest Labour results, news, reaction, comment, analysis and newsletter briefings.

Reader donations have helped us grow and get out and about to take the pulse on the campaign trail in key areas like Hartlepool, Adur and Dudley. Can you join the many readers who chip in to support LabourList each month and help us keep providing useful resources for Labour supporters?

Please donate what you can here – it takes only a few minutes. The more who donate, the more we can boost our coverage of the upcoming general election: https://labourlist.org/donate/

12:40pm: Labour’s future prospects in Tees Valley

As Ben Houchen officially announced as the Tees Valley winner, a Labour spokesperson said:

“This is swing towards Labour in Tees Valley puts Labour on track to win every single seat in the area in a general election. The Conservatives should be extremely worried that their candidate had to run as an independent to win. If Rishi Sunak doesn’t take this result as a major wake up call he is in denial.”

12:35pm: Blackburn with Darwen

Labour holds Blackburn with Darwen council, the BBC reports.

12:30pm: North Herts Labour makes gains

I spent eve of poll out in North Herts, where Labour is hoping to beat the Tories and the Lib Dems to take control of the council. You can read my story here – and we’ve just heard that Labour has gained Great Ashby ward from the Lib Dems, a positive sign for full results, expected later this evening.

 

12:27pm: Houchen wins Tees Valley – full story

Labour has failed in its attempt to unseat Ben Houchen, Sky news and the BBC report.

Sky News journalist Sam Coates called it a “massive moment” for Downing Street, potentially helping stave off a rebellion against Rishi Sunak at Westminster.  The Tories are likely to present it as a boost for the party nationally despite Houchen’s personal brand factor. The channel reports Ben Houchen secured 81,930 votes, with Labour’s Chris McEwan on 63,141, giving Houchen a 53.6% vote share. McEwan got 41.3%.

12:23pm: One ‘Karl Marx’ wins a seat for Labour – full story

12:15pm: Labour likely to fall short in West Mids

The BBC are reporting that Labour predicts to fall short in the West Midlands mayoral race, where the Tory Andy Street is re-standing. Independent Akhmed Yakoob is thought to have taken votes from Labour.

A senior Labour source told the BBC: “It’s the Middle East, not West Midlands, that will have won [Conservative candidate] Andy Street the mayoralty. Once again Hamas are the real villains.”

LabourList’s Cathleen Clarke was out and about in the West Mids yesterday:

11:40am: Labour conceded in Tees Valley – full story.

Labour sources are conceding the Tees Valley contest, despite the party making progress in the north-east mayoral race.

A Labour source tells LabourList that despite a significant swing, which would show Labour winning their Westminster targets in the area, the party expects to fall short in the mayoral race.

Tory Ben Houchen said he would “work with anybody” even if the Tories lose power at Westminster.

Read our full piece on the Tees valley contest.

11:25am: Could Houchen hold on?

We’re expecting results in the Tees Valley mayoral results in the next hour or so, where we will find out if Labour’s Chris McEwan has beaten Tory poster-Lord Ben Houchen, who took almost 73% of the total vote in 2021.

ITV’s Tom Sheldrick is reporting that Houchen has likely prevailed, despite a strong Labour showing in Hartlepool. We’ll find out this afternoon whether Houchen has held his ground.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

11:10am: Avon and Somerset PCC gain

Hello, it’s Morgan Jones taking over the LabourList results live blog for the day.

Labour has taken the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner from the Tories, with the BBC reporting that former South West MEP Clare Moody has beaten her Conservative predecessor by 4900 votes.

11.00am: Tory wards in Bedworth ‘too close to call’

A Labour activist who has been campaigning for the Nuneaton and Bedworth council election has told LabourList that most Conservative wards in Bedworth look “too close to call”.

He also said that the race for Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner election looks “very positive” for Labour.

10.49am: Labour holds Swindon

Although only seven of 20 seats have been declared, Labour has held control of Swindon council. The party gained control of the council last year and has so far gained two seats from the Conservatives.

10.45am: Which mayoral results are we expecting today?

Four mayoral election results are expected to be announced later today.

The first of these, at around midday, is the new North East mayoralty, where a recent poll suggested a close race between Labour’s Kim McGuinness and independent Jamie Driscoll. This will be closely followed by the Tees Valley mayoralty at 12.30pm, where Ben Houchem is facing off against Labour’s Chris McEwan.

Later this afternoon is the East Midlands mayoral result at around 2pm, where former Labour MP Claire Ward is hoping to win the new position, with the York and North Yorkshire mayoral result at around 3pm, where Labour’s David Skaith is hoping to win.

10.30am: Adur Labour ‘optimistic’

Jeremy Gardner, leader of Adur Labour, has told local newspaper The Argus there is “no doubt” people are turning to Labour.

He told the paper: “We are optimistic. The count is at an early stage but things are looking positive. There certainly will be more Labour councillors.”

Labour need to win seven seats to gain majority control of the council, while the Tories only need to lose one seat to push the council into no overall control.

We caught up with Cllr Gardner and his Labour colleagues on the campaign trail last month, as they fight to be the first Labour administration for the area.

10.15am: Labour gain Avon and Somerset PCC

Labour’s Clare Moody has won the police and crime commissioner race in Avon and Somerset from the Conservatives. Moody beat her Tory rival by around 5,000 votes.

She told the BBC: “My priorities are around bringing policing closer to the communities, neighbourhood policing, tackling violent crime, and particularly knife crime and violence against women and girls.”

10.00am: ‘We intend to win any votes we’ve lost’

Folllowing Labour’s loss of Oldham council, Keir Starmer told the BBC that he is “obviously concerned” wherever the party loses votes and said “we intend to win any votes we’ve lost back”.

However, he also said there was “no denying” the party was winning votes across the country.

“I’m very pleased with the results – we’re picking up seats where we need them in other parts of the country as well,” he said.

9.25am: The UK’s youngest Labour councillor?

Daisy Blakemore says she is the UK’s youngest Labour councillor after the 18-year-old was elected in Peterborough last night. Labour became the largest party on the council following a collapse in Conservative support, who lost 13 seats.

9.10am: Turnout for Tees Valley mayoral race announced

Turnout for the Tees Valley mayoral election was 30.5%, slightly down on the 34% at the last election. The result is understood to be expected at around midday.

8.50am: ‘First-class result’ in Blackpool, says Keir Starmer

Labour leader Keir Starmer has been visiting Blackpool South following the party’s victory in the parliamentary by-election. He thanked all those who put their trust in Labour and said: “A message has been sent directly to the Prime Minister – we’re fed up with your chaos, your decline and your division and we want change.”

7.20am: All the councils won and lost so far – and a lull in vote-counting

We’re keeping a rolling tally of the councils won and lost by Labour so far here.

GAINS: Hartlepool, Rushmoor, Thurrock, Redditch.

LOSSES: Oldham. 

More details on each of those and more updates on any other big council changes here as we get them.

There’s a lull in vote-counting and results now for the next few hours – so we’ll take a short break now and be back with updates later this morning…in the meantime, check out some of the key moments so far:

READ MORE: Meet Blackpool South’s new Labour MP after ‘seismic’ landslide

READ MORE: Labour loses Oldham amid ‘Gaza backlash’

READ MORE: Thurrock: Labour calls victory in Leave-voting target seat

READ MORE: Hartlepool: Labour takes control in ‘Red Wall’ town

6.50am: Labour happy with progress in key battlegrounds

Party officials say Labour is “winning in the areas that will decide the general election”. Rushmoor, Thurrock, Hartlepool and Blackpool “overlap with battlegrounds for the next election”, with council results in such areas “a better guide to what will happen at the next general election than the mayoral elections”.

The final point is clearly intended to deflect attention away from the West Midlands and Tees Valley contests, which look tight. Tories hope to present merely holding on as a positive sign for the governing party, despite their candidates distancing themselves from the party and elections expert Sir John Curtice suggesting the contests are a poor proxy for the general election.

6.35am: Bolton remains in no overall control; Labour holds Southampton

Labour has held Southampton council, which it gained in 2022.

But it has not gained Bolton as at least some observers had expected, which has been in no overall control since 2019 and remains that way.

Labour remains the biggest party though on 26 councillors, to the Tories 15, with a net loss of one seat after 21 seats were declared.

Elsewhere, Labour has held Lincoln and Tameside.

6.15am: Labour loses control in Oldham – full story

Oldham Labour has lost control of the council in north-west England, with the party losing seats to independents in five wards, according to the BBC.

The local authority is now in no overall control, having been in power since 2011. Two former Labour councillors had quit the party in the run-up to polling day over the party’s stance on Gaza, local media suggest, despite the local Labour group backing a ceasefire.

Retiring councillor Paul Fryer told The Oldham Times: “Labour have been in power in Oldham for 13 years, perhaps people are a bit tired of Labour. In some parts of the borough it’s the Gaza issue that may lose them the seat.”

Full story here.

5.45am: State of play at dawn as 250 Labour seat gains expected

The BBC’s tentative projections based on the first third of councils to declare suggest Labour is on course for 250 seat gains. It has so far gained 58 councillors and four councils, while the Tories have lost three.

The Tories are projected to lose 516 seats, with former Conservative Home Tim Montgomery arguing Rishi Sunak should “go”.

Labour’s projected share of the vote at around 5.40am was up 5 percentage points on 2021, when the Tories performed relatively well in a bounce widely attributed to the Covid vaccine rollout, and 0.2 percentage points on 2023 when Labour had a strong showing.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

5.34am: Watch Chris Webb after landslide Blackpool South win

The newest Labour MP-in-waiting Chris Webb said in his victory speech voters were “sick of the government’s failure to tackle the big issues facing our country”, and demanded an election. The BBC’s now shared the clip:

5.20am: Tories hold on in Harlow

The Tories have held on in Harlow, reportedly with 17 seats to Labour’s 16. Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner had visited earlier this week.

Local Tory MP Rob Halfon called it “the biggest comeback since Lazarus”.

5.10am: Labour gains Redditch from the Tories

Labour has won Redditch council from the Tories, making ten gains to take its total to 21, while the Tories lost 11 councillors, falling to just five in total, the BBC reports.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This is a great result in Redditch that shows Labour is back in the service of working people. Labour have won in Redditch by campaigning on the issues that matter to the community.

“Making gains in this bellwether seat is a clear sign that Labour is set to achieve a sizeable majority in a general election.”

(Jump back to top for latest news)

5.00am: Starmer hails ‘seismic win’ in Blackpool South

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today. This is the one contest where voters had the chance to send a message to Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives directly, and that message is an overwhelming vote for change.

“The swing towards the Labour Party in Blackpool South is truly historic and shows that we are firmly back in the service of working people.

“I am so proud of the positive campaign we ran. To those who have put their trust in us in Blackpool, and those considering giving Labour their vote, we are ready to serve your interests.

“Our new Labour MP Chris Webb has shown that after years of neglect with the Tories, there is a better alternative. The message to Rishi Sunak is clear. It’s time for change, it’s time for a general election.”

4.48am: Labour wins in key Blackpool South by-election test

Just in: Labour has won in the one Westminster by-election being held amid local elections, the marginal Blackpool South seat it lost it in 2019. More updates imminently. Full story here.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

4.45am: Labour holds Exeter and Reading

Labour has held Exeter council, though it lost two seats according to the BBC, ending the night on 24 councillors. There was minimal change across the council, with a gain apiece for the Greens, Lib Dems and Independents, while the Tories lost one seat.

Labour has also held Reading council, with no change in its overall number of councillors, 32.

4.30am: Labour gains Cumbria police, fire and crime commissioner position

Labour has gained the Cumbria police, fire and crime commissioner position from the Tories.

According to the Election Maps UK X account, Labour took 47.4% of vote, 21.3 points up, while the Tories saw their vote share fall by 23.2 points to 30.4%.

4.25am: Tories win first police and crime commissioner contest to declare

The Tories have won the Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner contest – but saw their vote share take a considerable hit.

According to the Election Maps UK X account, the Tories’ vote share fell by 23.3 points to 36.6%, while Labour’s vote share increased by 9.5 points to 29.5%.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

4.00am: Ashworth says results so far show ‘momentum’

Jonathan Ashworth has told the BBC that the Rushmoor result was “remarkable”, adding: “I think we would win the Aldershot constituency on this set of results.”

The shadow paymaster general said: “It is a stunning result for us tonight in Rushmoor and a place where has never been Labour and wasn’t even Labour in the Tony Blair years… We’ve taken back Hartlepool council – very, very important given that we lost the Hartlepool constituency a few years ago.

“Thurrock, that’s a seat, that the constituency of Thurrock we lost in 2010. And we’ve been always wanting to get that one back, so that’s a very, very good result. Making gains in Peterborough, another marginal target seat for us. Making stunning results in Plymouth – the Tory vote is really collapsing in Plymouth.”

Ashworth acknowledged that it is still “early in the weekend for the results” but argued: “The trends so far does show that there is some momentum here.”

3.45am: Labour holds Gateshead, Ipswich, Plymouth, Sefton and Wigan

The BBC is reporting that Labour has held Gateshead, Ipswich, Plymouth, Sefton and Wigan.

In Plymouth – which was among key gains Labour made at last year’s local elections – Labour continues to make progress with counting still underway, having already gained five seats. The Conservatives have so far lost eight seats.

3.30am: Turnout for Blackpool South by-election was 32.5%

The turnout for the Blackpool South by-election is being reported as 32.5%. That compares to turnouts of 37.1% and 38% respectively in recent by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough.

3.15am: Full results for Rushmoor and Thurrock

Hot on the heels of Labour claiming victory in Rushmoor, the full results for the council have now been announced, confirming a Labour gain. According to the BBC, Labour has gained seven seats to take its total to 21, while the Tories lost eight, falling to 15 councillors.

We also have full results from Thurrock, with the BBC reporting that Labour made eight gains to take its total to 27, while the Conservatives lost 12 seats, ending the night on 13.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

3.10am: Labour says it will win Rushmoor

Labour is claiming it is going to win Rushmoor, in what a spokesperson described as a “truly historic result”. They continued: “Rushmoor – the home of the British Army – has never had a majority Labour council before and has been run by the Tories for the last 24 years.

“This result demonstrates just how much the Labour Party has changed and people in Rushmoor know that only Labour can deliver the change they want to see. A Labour gain for Rushmoor is a result Rishi Sunak cannot ignore. It’s time for a general election.”

3.00am: Tories lose North East Lincolnshire to no overall control

The Tories have lost North East Lincolnshire council to no overall control, losing seven councillors while Labour gained six, with two seats left to be declared.

The council area is currently represented by two Tory MPs: Martin Vickers, MP for Cleethorpes, and Lia Nici, MP for Great Grimsby.

2.45am: New Labour leader of Hartlepool council speaks to the BBC

The new Labour leader of Hartlepool council Brenda Harrison has spoken to the BBC, saying that the party “worked so hard to get the trust of the people in Hartlepool back to Labour.”

“We’ve been trying to engage with people for a long time – not just the last few weeks, showing them that we do have a Labour group in Hartlepool who can lead the council well,” she said.

Harrison said she thinks it is “highly likely” Labour will take back the parliamentary seat at the general election, saying local people “feel that they want change” and feel that the Labour Party “has changed enough for them to put their trust in them”.

2.30am: Labour claims victory in Thurrock – full story

Labour is claiming victory in Thurrock, with eight seats left to declare. The party has so far gained five seats, while the Tories have lost six, according to the BBC. Read the full story here.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This is exactly the kind of place we need to be winning to gain a majority in a general election. The people of Thurrock have sent the Conservatives a message that they want change.”

(Jump back to top for latest news)

2.20am: Labour (officially) wins Hartlepool – full story

Labour has officially won Hartlepool council, a bit over an hour after it claimed victory in the key target local authority. According to the BBC, Labour made eight gains to take its total on the council to 24, while the Tories lost six councillors, halving the party’s overall total.

2.15am: Labour sees multiple losses in South Tyneside

Full results are also in for South Tyneside now. According to the BBC, Labour lost ten seats on the council, ending the night on 28, with a series of gains for Independents and the Greens.

2.00am: Full results for Sunderland council

Full results for Sunderland council have now been announced. According to the BBC, Labour made six gains, taking 18 of the 25 seats up for election. Its total on the council is now 53, while the Liberal Democrats have 12 councillors and the Tories have ten.

1.45am: Labour holds Chorley, South Tyneside and Newcastle

The BBC is reporting that Labour has held Chorley council, with the majority of results yet to be announced. It is also reporting that the party has held South Tyneside and, despite some losses, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

1.30am: Labour sees some significant losses in Newcastle

Britain Elects reports a series of losses for Labour in Newcastle in the results announced so far – both to the Greens and the Liberal Democrats – though it also reports that Labour has gained one seat from the council’s independent group.

It’s understood a low-traffic neighbourhood policy came up negatively on the doorstep. A trial was scrapped early in February amid criticism from local firms and a residents’ group.

The make-up of the council heading into these elections was 47 Labour councillors, 22 Lib Dems, four Independents, three in the Newcastle Independents group and two vacancies.

According to Britain Elects, Labour saw its vote share in Byker ward fall by 22.3 points, with the Greens surging to 56.8% of the vote to take the seat off the ruling party. The outlet reports that Labour faced an even larger fall in its vote share of 24.7 points in Elswick ward, which the Greens also won.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

12.50am: Labour says it has won Hartlepool – full story

A Labour spokesperson said the party expects to win control back of Hartlepool council. Read the full story here, including its significance.

“Winning back Hartlepool council is a groundbreaking moment after the disappointing results we saw here in 2021.

“Keir Starmer pledged to change the Labour Party after that result, and today’s win shows that this changed Labour party is ready to deliver the change that communities like Hartlepool are crying out for. Making gains here shows that the Party is on track to win a general election and is firmly back in the service of working people.”

12.30am: Labour holds Sunderland council

The first result of the night is in! Labour has held Sunderland council, winning the four seats it needed to maintain its majority. Counting continues for the remaining seats up for grabs.

Some commentators have highlighted Reform UK’s performance in the wards where results have been announced so far, however, and the right-wing party has claimed that the results show it is “fast becoming the main opposition to Labour in the Red Wall”.

12.15am: Phillipson ‘confident’ Labour will make progress in Tees Valley

Bridget Phillipson has told the BBC that she is “confident” Labour will make progress in Tees Valley, though she stressed that Ben Houchen secured an “enormous share of the vote” in 2021, which she said would require a “huge” 23% swing for Labour to take the mayoralty.

“I am confident we will make progress,” the Shadow Education Secretary said, adding: “I’m confident that we will make progress come the general election on Teesside.”

Phillipson continued: “I think that does demonstrate the scale of the change that we’ve seen under Keir Starmer from where we were back in 2021, losing that by-election.”

(Jump back to top for latest news)

11.45pm: Dodds on what success would look like for Labour

Anneliese Dodds has told Sky News that the Blackpool South by-election will be the key contest to watch to judge the overall strength of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

On her local elections predictions, the Labour Party chair said: “I think the key is going to be to see whether Labour’s moving forward in those areas where it’s really critical that we build support before the next general election.”

Pressed on what Labour will call a “success” in these local elections, Dodds said: “The key thing as I said before is where that support’s going to come from, in terms of the impact this may have on the general election.

“Is Labour going to be picking up those seats in the areas that we need to win for the general election? It looks likely that we will be.

“But then also, on the contrary, will the Conservatives actually be picking up seats? As I say, if they don’t, then actually they’re going to be doing worse than John Major was in the run-up to the ’97 election.”

11.30pm: LGIU: Locals ‘are not a warm-up act for general elections’

Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) chief executive Jonathan Carr-West stressed on the close of polls that local elections “are not a warm-up act for general elections” but “crucial chapters in our democracy” that “will determine the leaders who will serve our communities and make the decisions that directly impact our lives”.

Carr-West wrote for LabourList in the run-up to the local elections, identifying key tests and councils to watch for Labour in each region – including Thurrock, Hartlepool, Pendle, Hastings, Swindon, Bristol, Redditch and Dudley.

He wrote: “The major expected shifts are within the current no overall control councils, where changes are more likely, especially because many of them are currently minority councils where a few seats could make a major difference to political control (including 22 Conservative minority councils).”

10.45pm: Dodds: ‘I’m confident we’ll see Chris Webb elected’

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds has told the BBC she is “confident” that Chris Webb will be elected in Blackpool South, telling Newsnight: “I’m confident that we’ll see Chris Webb being elected there. I hope we will do.”

Britain Elects has released its forecast for the by-election result, projecting a Labour gain with 50% of the vote:

10.30pm: Khan also thanks volunteers and voters – and reveals his polling day step count

Sadiq Khan has also posted after the polls closed, thanking “everyone who volunteered, who gave up their time and who voted” – and revealing that his polling day step count was more than 42,000.

10.25pm: Starmer thanks voters and campaigners

Labour leader Keir Starmer has posted on X after polls closed, thanking “everyone who voted for and campaigned for Labour over the local elections”.

“Change happens because of you,” he added.

The party’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden made Labour’s official statement on the close of the polls, saying: “We are proud of the positive campaign we have run, focused on turning the page after 14 years of decline under the Conservative Party.

“These elections have been about offering change. We have set out our plan to get Britain building again, take back our streets, and bring opportunity to every corner of the country, while the Conservatives have once again stayed silent on the issues that matter.

“The most important election of the night is the historic by-election in Blackpool, caused by yet more Tory chaos and scandal. It’s the only election today where voters have had the opportunity to directly reject Rishi Sunak’s party in Westminster.

“It’s going to be a long night and the full picture of results from local elections may not be clear until over the weekend, but we expect to see Labour gains that show we’re making progress in the places we need to win the next general election.”

10.15pm: What kind of council seats are up for election, and are they all-outs, thirds or halves?

Senior Labour figure Luke Akehurst’s recent preview piece for us explained the councils up for election are:

• Every seat (191 councillors) in three Metropolitan Boroughs (Dudley, North Tyneside and Rotherham)
• One third of the seats (615 councillors) in 28 Metropolitan Boroughs
• Every seat (264 councillors) in four Unitary Councils (Bristol, Dorset, Warrington and Wokingham)
• One third of the seats (219 councillors) in 14 Unitary Councils
• Every seat (753 councillors) in 18 District Councils
• Half the seats (69 councillors) in four District Councils
• One third of the seats (481 councillors) in 36 District Councils

Also up for election are:

• The Mayor of London, and all 25 seats in the London Assembly
• Nine Combined Authority Mayors (East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, York & North Yorkshire)
• The Mayor of Salford
• All 35 Police and Crime Commissioners in England, and four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales

Many of the council seats were last contested in 2021, though some were contested more recently.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

10.05pm: When are all the local election results announced?

You can find the most reliable guide to when we will get particular local council results on the PA Media website here, though it is not an exact science.

The first results are expected in Broxbourne in the very early hours, and key battleground Hartlepool – where Labour lost both council control and a by-election in recent years – will come soon after that.

Results will continue trickling in from different councils until about 5am, though it’s then expected there’ll be a lull until around lunchtime on Friday, when races including the North East mayoralty and Tees Valley are expected to declare.

A further string of results will be announced on Saturday afternoon, including the West Midlands, London and South and North Yorkshire mayoralties. A last handful will come on Sunday afternoon.

10.00pm: What would good local election results be for Labour, and what are the key ones to watch?

Good evening – LabourList journalists Katie Neame and Tom Belger here to lead you through election night…

Leading election experts Collin Rallings and Michael Thrasher have predicted the Tories could lose up to 500 seats, and Labour could make around 300 gains.

Thrasher and another expert, Hannah Bunting, argue that around 350 gains would match last year’s performance, though still not be at Blair-era levels, while gains of around 200 would be “below par” and well below the polls, and gains of around 100 would be a real “danger sign”.

Another expert, Sir John Curtice, has said that while there is significant attention on the Tories’ Tees Valley and West Midlands mayoralties, they are among the least reliable indicators of potential Westminster sentiment – partly as polling already indicates a large discrepancy between mayoral and Westminster voting intentions there, with personal brands contributing to Tory incumbents’ success to date.

In a LabourList interview this week, deputy national campaign coordinator Ellie Reeves declined to put a figure on the approximate number of seat gains senior Labour figures would be happy with.“What we really will be looking at is progress that we’re making in the areas that we need to win a general election.”

Reeves cited examples like Cannock Chase, Redditch and Dudley in the West Midlands, Harlow and Thurrock in eastern England, and Milton Keynes and Rushmoor in the South East. Keir Starmer has also said Labour wants to win from “Hastings to Hartlepool”.

Labour national executive committee member Luke Akehurst wrote a primer for us last month on potential Labour metrics of success. He said Labour would hope for gains too in Bolton and Burnley in the North West,  and Tamworth and Worcester in the West Midlands. Other interesting metrics include projected national vote share (2023: 35%), raw councillor numbers (2023: 6,415), net councillor gains (536) and councils controlled (2023: 116).

Meanwhile, Local Government Information Unit chief executive Jonathan Carr-West has also written for us on the key councils to watch in each region – and Katie’s done a round-up of some of the interesting contests to watch as we look ahead to the general election, including Swindon.

(Jump back to top for latest news)

---

Local election results 2024: National picture

READ MORE: Live updates on key local election results throughout the night

READ MORE: Key local council elections to watch for clues on our general election chances

READ MORE: Interview: Ellie Reeves on where Labour looking for ‘progress’

READ MORE: ‘The key tests for Labour in each region’

READ MORE: What would good 2024 local election results look like for Labour?

READ MORE: Battleground PPCs optimistic’ on their local and general election chances

Local election results 2024: Inside key battleground campaigns

READ MORE: Meet Blackpool South’s new Labour MP after ‘seismic’ landslide

READ MORE: Thurrock: Labour calls victory in Leave-voting target seat

READ MORE: Hartlepool: Labour takes control in ‘Red Wall’ town

READ MORE: Tees Valley: Meet Labour candidate vying to oust Ben Houchen

READ MORE: Hartlepool: Inside Labour’s bid to take back control in ‘red wall’ town

READ MORE: North East: ‘Why Jamie Driscoll’s campaign should give Labour pause for thought’

READ MORE: Tom Baldwin: ‘What Blackpool’s deckchairs tell us about its by-election’

READ MORE: Dudley: Where Labour’s local campaign began, and it cannot afford to lose

READ MORE: North Herts: ‘We want to show Labour can demolish the blue wall’

READ MORE: Adur: How a red wave can end 25-year Tory grip on south coast

---

Share your election updates: If you have any updates big or small on the locals campaign to share that we could be reporting or running comment pieces on, on record or strictly anonymously, contact us at [email protected].

Follow the latest: Sign up to LabourList’s email newsletter for the latest news and analysis on the locals over the next few days, plus our daily newsletter briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.

Support our work: Quality journalism is expensive. If you can help sustain our work as the leading specialist Labour media platform through a monthly donation, please become one of our supporters here.

Partner with us: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on events or content, email [email protected].

---

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: A group of conservative leaders is calling on the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Kristen Clarke, to resign from her leadership position following an explosive report from The Daily Signal.

“The American people have lost trust in your ability to lead the Civil Rights Division,” reads a letter to Clarke, signed by Advancing American Freedom Executive Director Paul Teller, American Accountability Foundation President Tom Jones, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, and CatholicVote President Brian Burch. “We request that you resign immediately.”

The Daily Signal published a report on Tuesday highlighting evidence that Clarke had not disclosed a 2006 arrest and subsequent expungement during her 2021 nomination to the DOJ—and then explicitly denied ever having been arrested to Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton.

Clarke has not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Signal, though the DOJ acknowledged receipt of these requests. She did speak to CNN on Wednesday, however, confirming that she did not disclose the arrest and expungement and alleging that her ex-husband Reginald Avery domestically abused her. He denied this in a statement to The Daily Signal.

The letter to Clarke from conservative leaders, sent Friday to the DOJ official, repeatedly references The Daily Signal’s reporting and attaches a copy of the Tuesday report itself. The letter also points to Clarke’s enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act against pro-life activists.

“The American people deserve a Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice led with honesty and integrity,” the letter says. “Since taking over the Civil Rights Division, you have weaponized the Department of Justice by wielding the FACE Act against pro-life Americans in an unprecedented manner—even while standing idly by as churches and pro-life pregnancy centers are vandalized, and Jewish students are unable to attend class on college campuses.”

Jones, one of the signers of the letter, began digging into Clarke’s background during her nomination process and spoke to Avery around the same time, as The Daily Signal previously reported. Avery told Jones at the time that Clarke attacked him with a knife, slicing his finger to the bone, during a domestic dispute in July 2006.

“The accusations against Kristen Clarke of lying to Congress and domestic violence are deeply troubling,” Jones told The Daily Signal on Friday. “Clearly she does not possess the character or integrity to be in any position of power. She must resign now.”

On Thursday evening, the New York Post Editorial Board similarly called on Clarke to step down in an editorial titled: “Kristen Clarke lied and must step down from the DOJ — NOW.”

“Clarke’s now arguing that because the arrest was expunged, she wasn’t required to disclose it to lawmakers,” the New York Post Editorial Board wrote. “That’s precisely the kind of razor-sharp logic that top Biden appointees are known for.”

“Then again,” the board continued. “Clarke’s the same dunderhead who muffed a major question about First Amendment litigation last year, claiming in a congressional hearing to be totally unaware of the lawsuit by the state of Missouri against the president over government efforts against ‘disinformation’ — a huge civil rights issue where Team Biden had lost and was appealing to the Supreme Court.”

The New York Post Editorial Board added: “Her defense now is beyond pathetic. She told an unambiguous lie to Congress. Was she thinking she’d never get caught, or that if she did, her political connections would protect her?”

CNN published Clarke’s allegations in a report headlined “DOJ civil rights leader says she was a victim of abuse in extraordinary statement.” That report is drawing accusations from conservative media that the outlet sought to curry favor with President Joe Biden’s DOJ through its framing.

“CNN propagandist Hannah Rabinowitz was asked by DOJ to spread this info op and she complied, hiding the explosive journalism which provoked it,” tweeted Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway.

“Amazing,” noted The Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross. “After @MaryMargOlohan reports that DOJ’s Kristen Clarke lied about being arrested, Clarke runs to CNN with a claim that she lied only because she was the victim of domestic abuse. And CNN spins it with the typical ‘conservatives pounce’ framing.”

Clarke did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

The Daily Signal previously reported that Clarke, who oversees investigations into violations of the FACE Act, has used FACE to charge dozens of pro-life individuals since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. This includes Mark Houck, a Catholic father of seven arrested at gunpoint by the FBI and charged with violating FACE in September 2022 (a jury found Houck was not guilty in January 2023, and the DOJ has not commented on this verdict publicly).

Enacted in 1994, the FACE Act prohibits threats of force, obstruction, and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services. It applies not only to abortion clinics, but also to pro-life pregnancy centers and houses of worship.

Though Clarke is the helm of the DOJ’s FACE Act enforcements, she is a vocal abortion proponent who has denounced pro-life pregnancy centers, as The Washington Free Beacon’s Ross previously reported.

The DOJ has charged only five pro-abortion individuals with violating the FACE Act when they attacked pro-life pregnancy centers, even though hundreds of pregnancy centers and Catholic churches have been attacked since May 2022, when the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked, indicating Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned.

DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has charged zero individuals with FACE for attacking Catholic churches, though it has charged other individuals with hate crimes with defacing a synagogue with neo-Nazi symbols and attempting to burn down a church that planned to host drag show events.

To say the Aston Martin Vulcan is a luxury vehicle would be like saying Jeff Bezos is well-off. In other words, a vast understatement. The two-door, two-seater with a cherry-red carbon-fiber body can reach a max speed of 208 miles per hour and go from 0-60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds. Vulcans are a symbol of opulence more rarified than the imperial Fabergé eggs created for the Romanov family dynasty: 43 of those eggs are known to still exist in the world, but only 24 Aston Martin Vulcans do. And beginning in 2015, Bernie Moreno—now a Republican candidate for US Senate in Ohio—was the proud owner of one of them for a period of time.

“I’ve loved cars since I was a little kid and this car, to me, is just an absolute work of art,” Moreno, who in November will face incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in one of the most competitive Senate races this cycle, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “When I saw it, I knew I had to have it.”

He didn’t just want to have the Vulcan, which he purchased for $2.3 million. He also wanted to drive it. With at least three police cars providing an escort down busy streets that were partially closed for the occasion, Moreno cruised down Lorain and Stearns roads in the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted, at times reaching 60 miles per hour, the Plain Dealer reported. Public records requests processed by the city of North Olmsted and obtained by Mother Jones did not return records indicating Moreno paid the city for its services. 

Driving the Vulcan on the street may have violated federal regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strict emissions requirements on which cars may be imported and driven in the United States. The Vulcan does not meet requirements for an everyday commuting car, but between March 2015 and February 2017, Aston Martin applied for and received nine EPA “competition” exceptions for 2015 Vulcans, according to the agency.

An EPA spokesperson says the nine exceptions were for cars that must be “solely” used for competition.

In a 2016 video, Moreno discusses the import process more broadly. Instead of shipping the Vulcan as a completed vehicle, he said that the steering wheel—worth $20,000 on its own—was delivered separately. “Nobody’s here from the EPA, right? Good,” Moreno says. “The car’s actually not legally allowed to be in the United States. It is now, but it wasn’t back in October when we got the car. So we shipped it in as car parts.”

EPA spokesperson Jeff Landis told Mother Jones in a statement that importing a non-approved car in parts would not make it compliant with the agency’s Clean Air Act vehicle certification requirements. Motor vehicles “must comply with the Clean Air Act and may not be disassembled nor purchased in a disassembled form for the purposes of evading the Clean Air Act or the Imports regulations,” Landis said. 

Moreno’s campaign says he was not involved in importing the car. “Aston Martin was solely responsible for importing it. Bernie had no decision making power or anything to do with how they decided to import the car,” Moreno’s communications director, Reagan McCarthy, wrote in a statement. “It’s laughable that the leftwing media is melting down over a show car being driven for a matter of minutes down the street.”

Aston Martin confirmed it imported the vehicle and said that the vehicle was approved for import by the EPA before it was shipped. Contradicting Moreno’s 2016 comments, a spokesperson for Aston Martin said the car was not imported “piecemeal.” 

According to Moreno’s account, the steering wheel faced complications in what he described as a separate importing process. The engineer bringing the steering wheel over got held up in customs, Moreno said.

“This was the day after the San Bernardino terrorist attacks,” Moreno explained, “and the chief engineer for this project is actually Italian. And he’s a little bit dark complexion, crazy hair, and he’s going through customs explaining that this box is the steering wheel for a car… They kept him in customs for five hours and interrogated him. But he finally made it through. He didn’t have a sense of humor about that. I thought that was funny.”

In a follow-up conversation with Aston Martin, a spokesperson confirmed the car was first imported in its entirety with a steering wheel that ended up being faulty. A replacement steering wheel was later shipped out, which is what Moreno was likely referring to when describing the hold-up in customs. (Moreno’s spokesperson said his description on video was “Bernie’s understanding of how it was shipped.”)

Nevertheless, Moreno no longer owns the car. In 2016, the Cleveland Aston Martin dealership, which Moreno then owned, listed the Vulcan for sale for $3.4 million—the cost equivalent of 14 new Ferrari Romas, nine Rolls Royce Ghosts, or 90 times Ohio’s median per capita income of $37,729. While the New York Times reported in March 2024 that Moreno’s assets included the Vulcan, Moreno’s spokesperson says that Moreno’s dealership—not Moreno, personally—owned the car, and Moreno sold that dealership in 2019.

Before running for Senate, Moreno was once the largest luxury car dealer by volume in the Midwest, selling Porsches and Bentleys, in addition to Aston Martins. His financial disclosure records indicate his current assets include 43 percent of a Florida property worth between $5 million and $25 million, corporate securities worth between $5 and $25 million, at least two limited partnerships valued between $1 million and $5 million, and 65 percent of a personal driver company valued between $5 million and $25 million, among other things. Financial disclosures include wide ranges of asset values rather than exact figures, but the reports suggest Moreno’s net worth could exceed $100 million. 

It’s unclear what Moreno is driving these days. Brown, whom Moreno is running against, drives a Jeep Cherokee assembled in Toledo by union members.

On April 21, Chicago police officer Luis Huesca was driving home from work, still in uniform, at about 3 a.m. when he was mercilessly executed by a carjacker who then stole his vehicle. Huesca was just six days shy of his 31st birthday when he was killed. 

Over the past two weeks, the FBI and local law enforcement have conducted a manhunt for his killer, with good news coming on April 30 when the suspect, Xavier Tate Jr., was arrested by police. It was a nice added touch that authorities arrested him using Huesca’s own handcuffs. 

It is sadly not surprising that Tate had a criminal history, but what WAS surprising was Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s reaction to the arrest. 

Yesterday, CBS Chicago reporter Darius Johnson and Mary Ann Ahern of NBC5 Chicago attempted to ask Johnson about the killing and the arrest after Johnson had completed speaking at a prayer breakfast.

Did Johnson stop to mourn the loss of Huesca, or thank law enforcement for their efforts in bringing his killer to justice? 

No, he turned tail and fled. Watch: 

NEW VIDEO: @ChicagosMayor RUNS from me and another reporter as we tried to ask him about the arrest in the death of Officer Luis Huesca.

He did not comment. As you see he drove off.

More on this at 4 on @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/oFj7YfIRjP

— Darius Johnson (DJ) (@DariusJohnsonTV) May 2, 2024

WTAF?

Johnson had previously attempted to pin the Huesca killing on ‘gun violence’ and not the rampant lawlessness that has engulfed Chicago during his and his predecessor’s tenure. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about that. 

But that doesn’t excuse this cowardice. 

And it gets even worse, if you can even believe that. 

Later the mayor’s office responded to inquiries about this video with one of the lamest excuses possible: ‘Wasn’t me.’

UPDATE:
The mayors office responds, as you can see the mayor and his detail left in a hurry and did not answer q’s.

Johnsons office says, “That isn’t Mayor Brandon Johnson in the video and the person that is being filmed running was trying to catch the car before it departed.” https://t.co/cdCEziz6x2

— Darius Johnson (DJ) (@DariusJohnsonTV) May 2, 2024

Is he freaking serious with this? Unbelievable.

Literally running away from reporters “is the soul of Chicago.” https://t.co/2yEo6xatjW

— Stuart Loren (@StuLoren) May 2, 2024

For those who don’t know, talking about ‘the soul of Chicago’ was part of Johnson’s inaugural address. He has since been mocked relentlessly for it given conditions in the city, just like New York City Mayor Eric Adams saying ‘New York has a brand.’

Our cowardly, inept @ChicagoMayor needs immediate removal. https://t.co/MJcdRFIeUT

— roccocat (@deycats) May 2, 2024

People really need to stop voting based on identities and focus on qualifications. Because Johnson has none. 

He should resign. Like by the end of the week. pic.twitter.com/Qyh8Zf8I9U

— CrestonChi (@CrestonChi) May 2, 2024

When reporters try to question @ChicagosMayor pic.twitter.com/fBXrKycj9P

— Frosty (@FrostyTakes) May 2, 2024

LOL. Sorry, Johnson’s behavior is not at all funny, but that video comparison was. 

This has to be one of the more bizarre moments ever seen from a Chicago mayor.

A boilerplate answer would have sufficed. Instead, he runs from reporters asking basic questions and basically giving him a chance to display some grace and support.

Instead, he literally runs away.… https://t.co/LU10s04Y49

— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) May 2, 2024

It is bizarre. But as that tweet continues to say, Johnson didn’t seem to want to run away from reporters when the topic was Dexter Reed. That’s curious, isn’t it? 

https://t.co/HooQpXMory pic.twitter.com/lwC615996a

— Citizen 𝑣𝑠 Machine, PhD (@CitizenVMachine) May 2, 2024

Indeed.

But people may have been even MORE disgusted by his office trying to lie about the video. 

Does he honestly think we are morons? https://t.co/xRpOW4YTQl

— MontyD (@HDMonty2) May 2, 2024

He just thinks that it doesn’t matter. People will vote for him anyway. Honestly, until Chicago proves him wrong, it’s difficult to argue with that strategy. 

https://t.co/bu3EAUmhqh pic.twitter.com/GjszUmpI7R

— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) May 2, 2024

There is nothing serious about Mayor Johnson. Except for the havoc he is wreaking. That’s deadly serious. 

Not only are they calling the multiple reporters who saw him run away from the podium liars but they think the rest of the public with working eyes are blind and stupid and they expect everyone to believe this nonsense.

It’s insulting to every single person that lives in the… https://t.co/Ns3YzkEVX1

— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) May 2, 2024

So a bunch of established reporters like Darius and @MaryAnnAhernNBC are being untruthful? I believe it’s Ms Ahern who literally asks in the video “Mr Mayor why do you have to run from us?” In any event, leaving in haste in response to legitimate questions is a horrible look. https://t.co/WoMMjtIqEv

— Stuart Loren (@StuLoren) May 2, 2024

Just like Chicago voters, the same goes for reporters. It will continue as long as you put up with it. 

The mayor’s office says this man, accompanied by the mayor’s protective detail, is not the mayor? https://t.co/tdx1KIhQ4Y pic.twitter.com/ZFDJmeJlI0

— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) May 2, 2024

Security often surrounds low-level staffers trying to catch up with a departing car. Didn’t you know that? 

Wait they denied this was the Mayor…WHAT?!?! Try again… https://t.co/SW8GJP5ZSY

— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) May 2, 2024

Mayor Johnson after someone who looks like him gets into a SUV and is wisked away: https://t.co/qZzfgaaLco pic.twitter.com/CSItJNYYJ6

— Kenneth Webb @bullCityNerd (@bullcitynerd) May 3, 2024

We knew that GIF was coming. LOL. It’s disgraceful. 

This is Mayor Johnson’s stunt double. https://t.co/Iyf1kTJJzh pic.twitter.com/vLOh9iidmL

— Dos Can Sox (@DosCanSox) May 3, 2024

https://t.co/9ZIcHv9o72 pic.twitter.com/Rd2Z06co2h

— HeyJackass.com (@w_h_thompson) May 2, 2024

Somehow, we think the old Jedi mind trick isn’t going to work for Johnson this time around. 

pic.twitter.com/gYhaOHE3ZM

— Now a Suffering Sox Fan (@irvineghost20) May 2, 2024

Made me remember this incredible 80’s movie. Brandon Johnson is “ The Running Man” https://t.co/fYk5PVwHGu pic.twitter.com/CA6LYCvLpD

— Reece (@WrightRealtor1) May 2, 2024

pic.twitter.com/DsR5jbKD3L

— Andy Anderson (@Whytepaper) May 2, 2024

Well, we could go on with these movie and pop culture references forever, but we’ll end on a more serious note: 

My take: Answering questions, facing reporters, comes with being an elected official. It’s part of the job=accountability to the public. Refusing to do so is worth noting. @cbschicago https://t.co/wYYfINOK3T

— Dana Kozlov (@DanaCBS2) May 2, 2024

It’s not worth ‘noting.’ It’s worth ‘recalling,’ as in, an election. 

And yet, the truly baffling part still remains: the arrest of Tate should have been a moment Brandon Johnson celebrated. Especially since the Chicago media isn’t exactly known for grilling Democrat politicians with hard questions. Why wouldn’t he do that?

The only conclusion we can come up with is that his political instincts are just as horrible as his governing skills.

 And now, the city knows him as a coward to boot.