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UK's governing Conservatives suffer big losses in local elections as Labour appears headed for power

Britain's governing Conservative Party is suffering heavy losses as local election results pour in Friday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a U.K. general election in which the main opposition Labour Party appears increasingly likely to return to power after 14 years. Labour won control of councils in England it hasn't held for decades and was successful in a special by-election for Parliament. Its only negative appears to have been in some areas with large Muslim populations where the party's candidates suffered as a result of leader Keir Starmer 's strongly pro-Israel stance in the conflict in Gaza.