British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are suffering heavy losses in local elections, with voters punishing his party for political scandals, sluggish economic growth and high inflation, early results showed today.

While governing parties often struggle in mid-term elections, the results of local council elections in England are the biggest and possibly final test of voter mood before the next general election, which is expected to be held in 2024.

The Conservative Party recorded net losses of 144 seats in local councils for which elections were held, according to early results. The opposition Labor Party, which hopes to win hundreds of seats, added 96 seats.

The Lib Dems had a net gain of 40 seats.

The results will decide more than 8,000 seats in 230 local councils, which are responsible for providing public services such as waste collection and schools.

Hugh Merriman, the Conservative party’s deputy transport secretary, said it had been “a tough night and it could get tougher”.

John Curtis, Britain’s best-known pollster, said that based on the results so far, the Conservatives could record a net loss of 1,000 seats, confirming the party’s most pessimistic forecast.

Labor is making gains in some areas that supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum, which the party will need to win if it is to win a majority in the next general election.