Tories set for UK-wide gains in local polls ahead of June 8

London

FIVE weeks before the general election, local votes in many areas of England, Scotland and Wales will test the mood of the country.

Opinion polling suggests Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives are set to extend their parliamentary majority and local contests on Thursday will be "a very useful guide to what will happen on June 8", according to Michael Thrasher, who specialises in local elections at the University of Plymouth.

The latest national polls suggest Mrs May could be on course for the sort of House of Commons major…