Liberal Democrats winning in Mid Sussex

11.49.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 5th Jun 2009

Thank you to everyone who supported the Liberal Democrats in Thursday's County Council elections. Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats scored significant wins in the elections, taking both council seats in Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath, as well as winning Hassocks and Imberdown; and winning half the wards in Mid Sussex by taking an additional three seats from the Conservatives.

Across the country there was some dramatic good news for the Liberal Democrats, including winning control of Bristol. Most strikingly, in the BBC projected vote share Liberal Democrats are 5% ahead of Labour nationally - 28% to 23%, with the Conservatives on 38%. Liberal Democrats are up 3% on last year, Labour down 1% and the Conservatives down 6%. This is our best share of the vote this Parliament - which is very promising news given the possible imminence of a general election, and the mess Gordon Brown and Labour are making nationally.

Locally the Labour vote collapsed and the other parties made little impression, with the Mid Sussex results proving that only the Liberal Democrats can stand up to local Conservative incompetence.