WITHAM’S MP says Thersa May’s failure to lead the UK out of the EU led to a voter backlash in the local elections.

Speaking on Thursday, Ms Patel said people she had spoken with at polling stations were keen to vent their anger at the ongoing deadlock in Parliament when voting.

The Tory also revealed she was continually receiving hundreds of emails on a daily basis from constituents demanding to be updated on when the UK will leave the EU.

She said: “There is disillusionment over the Prime Minister’s failure to leave the EU on March 29.

“I’ve heard that on the doorstep, I’ve heard that at polling stations. I had a person come up to me to say he was absolutely angry, so angry in fact that he spoilt his ballot paper.

“This was not because of local services but because we did not leave on March 29. We must get out – everyone has said that to me. That doesn’t mean without a deal, it just means getting out. It’s that frustration which has really come through.”

I hear it constantly, my email has been absolutely hot since March. When we say hot, I am talking about getting 400 emails coming in on a day to day basis which is enormous.

Ms Patel visited the counts taking place for Braintree, Maldon and Colchester councils on election night to show her support for Conservative candidates.

She went on to point out the importance of distinguishing between the different levels of government and spoke of her disappointment at the expected loss of Conservative seats.

She added: “The tragedy of this set of local elections is the hard-working, community-minded public servants who are being affected by low turn-out.

“It is incredibly important to see the difference between local and national politics. I have some amazing local representatives. Look at Witham Town Council – they stood up against the Gimsons application. It would be shameful to lose some of those hard-working councillors because of the national situation.”