Labor waits for 2nd electoral shoe to drop

LONDON, June 6 (UPI) -- The governing British Labor Party was waiting for more bad results Saturday in European elections after a third-place finish in local elections.

Labor lost control of four local councils and gave up 273 seats, with 23 percent of the vote Thursday. The Conservatives, who picked up 233 council seats, had 38 percent of the vote and the Liberal Democrats 28 percent.

Some members of the party told The Sunday Telegraph they expect a fourth-place finish when the European results are released Sunday. Some polls showed the anti-Europe United Kingdom Independence Party coming in second behind Conservatives.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who defied calls Friday for his departure, spent Saturday in France. He attended ceremonies in Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

Brown got a short-lived bounce from the deepening economic crisis but has since seen his popularity plummet. The recent expenses scandal has hit Labor hard with the main beneficiaries minor parties like the UKIP, the Greens and the British National Party.