However their main opposition, the Labour party, will also rue the fact that it failed to make significant gains at the Tories expense, notwithstanding a strong showing in London.

However the principal loser of this week’s poll was democracy itself. The turnout for the elections up and down the nation was very poor. For those that did vote, there was a strong switching of support to the smaller parties with the Greens and particularly the Liberal Democrats all having seen an increase in their share of the vote, with the latter triumphantly having captured Hull City Council from Labour.

And while these gains can be attributed in no small part to campaigning zeal of smaller parties, they also manifest a disenchantment with the two largest parties.

The Conservatives were always due for what Prime Minister Boris Johnson dubbed “a tough night”. The lurid revelations of Partygate, along with the cost of living crisis, were always going to hamper the party’s prospects.

However for Labour, the failure to secure notable successes outside London cast doubt as to the likelihood of its being able to form a Government. It clearly has more work to do to persuade voters in Yorkshire, having lost control of Hull and its former stronghold in Sheffield still under no overall control.

Both parties’ travails are not over. Several by-elections loom and both party leaders will be under pressure to deliver, most notably Mr Johnson whose standing in his own party remains precarious.

We must hope for an improved turnout in these elections. Democracy is hard earned and all parties should present more of a vision for the country to entice weary voters back to the ballot box.

Poor showings for Labour and Tories show that both parties need to do more to win trust in Yorkshire - The Yorkshire Post says