Keir Starmer has turned to attacking Brexit once again as he laid out his fightback plan to save his job following Labour's disastrous showing in the local elections, which saw the party lose more than 1,200 council seats in England. The prime minister pledged to forge closer ties with Europe and vowed to lead the party into the next general election, despite mounting pressure from his own MPs.
Labour's Electoral Collapse
Labour lost more than 1,200 council seats in England this week and relinquished control of 37 councils. Reform UK gained over 1,350 seats and took control of 14 councils, including eight previously run by Labour—many in the party's northern English heartlands. The losses extended beyond England, as Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time, reduced to just nine seats out of 96, with First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her own seat. The SNP claimed victory in Scotland.
Starmer's Response
In his first major interview since the elections, Starmer told the Sunday Mirror he would be “full-throated” about the need for closer ties with Brussels. He said: “I feel that Brexit has held back our young people. They should be free to work, study, travel in European countries, just as I was able to when I was growing up. That has been smashed away from young people because of Brexit. I'm not going to let Brexit stand in the way of their opportunities, and therefore we'll push forward on that.”
The prime minister insisted he would lead Labour into the next general election and continue his 10-year project of “national renewal.” He acknowledged the results were “tough,” but said he would not walk away from the job he was elected to do in July 2024.
Leadership Challenge
Starmer faces a fight to keep his job as former Foreign Office minister Catherine West has promised to launch a leadership bid on Monday unless the Cabinet forces him out. Speaking to The Independent, West said: “We had cataclysmic election results last week and our response so far does not match the emergency that faces us. I am terrified we will end up with prime minister Farage.” Around 30 Labour backbenchers have publicly suggested Starmer should quit or set a timetable for his departure.
Economic Plans
The Sunday Mirror reported that No 10 and the Treasury are drawing up support for families, targeting fuel costs and household bills that have soared since the Iran war pushed up global oil and gas prices. Starmer promised “an economy that really works for everyone, wherever they live.”
Green Party Gains
Labour's embarrassments extended into London, where the Green Party toppled a huge red majority in Lewisham to take control of their third London council. The Greens also ousted the Labour mayor of Hackney and won Waltham Forest. Starmer brushed off the threat from the Greens and Reform, saying: “I have a strong belief that there aren’t many people who actually want Zack Polanski or Nigel Farage as prime minister. I think that the mainstream majority actually want to know that we, the Government, have progressive answers.”
In response to the elections, Starmer gave roles to two Labour grandees: former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as special envoy on global finance and Baroness Harriet Harman as adviser on women and girls.
