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The Lib Dems said "Badenoch's authority lies in tatters", with senior Tory figures "openly contradicting her".

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer told the BBC the guidance puts trans people at risk of discrimination, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said there were questions over enforcement.

The Lib Dem leader said his party accepted the Supreme Court ruling but there needed to be more debate in Parliament to reach a clear solution that "respects people's rights".

The Lib Dems reckon with a good night they might control more councils than the Tories this time next week – whether it's Oxfordshire or Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire or other parts of the South West.

Both the Lib Dems and the Greens have long been playing effective local ground �������t¶��, concentrating on building power bases in pockets of the country.