Labour pull into second place in last Thursday's elections, plus other post-election titbits

- Rallings and Thrasher have calculated their own share of the vote from 1,350 wards in Thursday's elections which puts Labour back in second. Final scores: Tories on 43% (a three-point increase since last year) with Labour on 24% (down two points). The Lib Dems scored 23%, down a single percentage point from last year, according to Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher

- Tories spent a quarter of their £400,000 limit on Lynton Crosby, according to the Sunday Times: His four months of work cost the Tories £140,000 – but his decades of election-fighting experience down under proved well worth the money, turning Johnson from an entertaining outsider into a winner.

- Lib Dem HQ knew that Brian Paddick wasn't going to do very well, and were appalled his team were openly predicting he would get at least 15 per cent of the vote. In the even he got less than 10. Just as well that the heavyweights like Lord Rennard stayed away and concentrated on the national campaign, which went well.

- The most astonishing thing about Paddick was that his second preference vote - secret until after polling day - went to a hard left activist standing for Left List. Not something Nick Clegg will be keen to dwell on. Paddick wrote in Lib Dem voice today: "Apparently the best thing to do when you get thrown by a horse is get back in the saddle as soon as possible, although I wouldn’t know one end of a horse from another!" Whatever can he mean.

- Here's what Boris campaign workers missed when they were barred from the CCHQ victory party in favour of donors.  "Party donors spared no expense on the lavish bash – with a grand ice sculpture of the Back Boris campaign as the centrepiece, an all-blonde girl band dressed in black ball dresses, and unlimited oysters and caviar. As a bashful-looking Johnson strolled into the room with his entourage, to clapping and cheering, there was laughter as the band struck up Jerusalem. In a brief speech, Johnson paid tribute to his campaign team, and to David Cameron. The Tory leader returned the favour. “There were no quips, even though everyone was elated,” said one who was present. “Both the speeches were serious and straight, with Boris acknowledging Cameron’s role in the night’s successes, and vice versa. Among the revellers were Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s lyricist; Lord Marland, the former Tory party treasurer; Johnson’s mother and father, and his children. The party continued until dawn."