WHAT did we learn from the results of Thursday’s local elections? In this region, the status quo has not altered, despite some surprising losses for Labour in Sunderland.

Nationally, Labour’s performance is best described as underwhelming, with the row over anti-Semitism being blamed for poorer than expected results in some parts of the capital.

The party of government so often gets a kicking at local elections that the solid showing by the Conservatives probably counts as a victory – even if the collapse of the Ukip vote was a factor in some areas.

After months of Brexit wrangling, weeks of headlines dominated by the Windrush scandal and the resignation of Home Secretary Amber Rudd just days before voters went to the polls, Tories up and down the land will be feeling huge relief.

Analysis of the national vote share puts the Tory/Labour split at 35 per cent each.

Experts say a hung parliament would have occurred if it had been a general election, with Labour winning 283 seats and the Conservatives 280.

So are we are precisely in the same place as we were a year ago? Not exactly. A year ago, amid the fallout of Theresa May’s ill-fated snap general election, Jeremy Corbyn’s cult of personality was sweeping all before it.

In the wake of yesterday’s results, has Corbynmania peaked?

If there was real life in his movement – if there was momentum behind him – would we not have seen some advance rather than just being where he was a year ago?