Tories celebrate a night of triumph

Tory chairman Francis Maude said the party's gains in Thursday night's local elections were "at the top end" of what had been expected. Labour's losses were more than double the level of 100 which the party had indicated it could live with in a mid-term poll. A Sky News projection suggested that the Conservatives would have a 10-seat majority in the House of Commons if Thursday night's figures were repeated in a general election.