What Americans can teach us about local democracy

It should be easier to call local referendums in the UK. Politics is too important to be left to the politicians.

Howard Flight: Local elections should be about local government

All teenagers should be taught at school about the structure of the British constitution – this would help improve the engagement and basis of knowledge for local government elections.

Iain Duncan Smith: May’s ministers have rejected the customs partnership. In clinging to to it, Number 10 is making a mistake.

Following the results of last Thursday’s elections, we should feel rejuvenated by the clarity of the pro-Brexit message that the voters sent to us.

Brandon Lewis: Thank you, Conservative members. Because of you, we did well in these elections. But this is just the start.

I want to commend every single one of you that stood for council or campaigned in any way in this poll.

WATCH: May in Wandsworth – “This was one of Labour’s top targets. They threw everything at it. But they lost.”

The Prime Minister visits the Tory flagship council in the aftermath of the Conservatives holding on.

Ten local election results to watch for the Tories

How bad is the prognosis for urban Conservatism? Will there be a fightback outside of London? Will the Liberal Democrats show signs of life? Some potential clues.

Brandon Lewis: In the final week before polling day, let’s shout about our record

These local elections will make a big difference to people’s lives. Join me on the campaign trail.

Iain Dale: As I prepared for my Question Time debut, I heard that Diane Abbott had pulled out. Was it something I said?

Plus: May in trouble and Rudd in danger over Windrush. Corbyn stumbles. The pound rises. Local elections loom. And: the dignity of Neville Lawrence.

London’s local elections. Beware of spin.

The capital isn’t a single political entity. Rather, it is still in some ways a Napoleon-of-Notting-Hill-style mass of small towns.

Lord Ashcroft: Capital Punishment? The Conservatives and the 2018 London elections

Key voters include those who voted heavily to remain in the EU, and were decisive in the lost Tory seats of Battersea, Kensington, Kingston and Twickenham.

Ravi Govindia: In Wandsworth, aspiration is at the heart of our mission

From schools, to helping the youngest get the best start in life, through to leading regeneration – we always strive to ensure that nobody is left behind.

Councils should not pass byelaws they don’t mean to enforce

In practice, children in Wandsworth will still be allowed to climb trees in local parks. It is a mistake for local authorities to adopt rules which suggest otherwise.

Greg Hands: How Momentum is planning a loony left takeover in London

You can help to warn voters before it’s too late.

George Trefgarne: The Conservatives must stop indulging in class warfare

Embracing this crude Marxist fiction has put the Conservative Party at risk of lasting electoral damage, particularly in London.

Nadhim Zahawi: I won’t take lectures on racism from Labour

Is it seriously only legitimate to ask such questions of a white man but not, in exactly the same terms, of a Muslim?