 Miliband 's first electoral tests as Labour Leader came in the elections to the Scottish Parliament , Welsh Assembly and various councils across England , excluding London , on 5 May 2011 . The results for Labour were described as a " mixed bag " , with the party performing well in Wales – falling just one seat short of an overall majority and forming the next Welsh Government on its own – and making large gains from the Liberal Democrats in northern councils , including Sheffield , Leeds , Liverpool and Manchester . Results were less encouraging in the south of England , and results in Scotland were described as a " disaster " , with Labour losing nine seats to the SNP , which went on to gain the Parliament 's first ever majority . Miliband said that following the poor showings in Scotland " lessons must still be learnt " . 
