Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will remain in office despite Labour suffering catastrophic losses in local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales. Acknowledging a “tough” night for his party, Starmer said his resolve to “deliver the change I promised” remains unshaken.
Speaking at Kingsdown Methodist Church in Ealing, west London, on Friday, Starmer stated: “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it. We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country, these are people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party. And that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility.”
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK celebrated a “truly historic shift in British politics,” making gains nationwide, including winning control of Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives and capturing its first London borough, Havering. Farage declared: “It’s a big, big day, not just for our party, but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way.”
As vote counting continues, Labour faces further heavy losses. In Wales, the party is expected to lose the national vote for the first time in over a century, while the SNP appears set to remain the largest party in Scotland after 19 years in power. Early results from 41 of 136 English councils show Labour losing control in eight authorities and shedding 204 seats, while Reform has gained 275 councillors.
Labour’s losses include Wandsworth and Westminster in London, as well as Tameside, which covers Angela Rayner’s Greater Manchester constituency. The Liberal Democrats are on course for an eighth consecutive year of council gains, taking control of Stockport and Portsmouth, and becoming the sole party on Richmond upon Thames Council, though they lost their slender majority in Hull. The Conservatives suffered losses but managed to regain Westminster from Labour and hold Harlow and Broxbourne, becoming the largest party again in Wandsworth. The Green Party made modest early gains, expecting significant improvements as London target councils declare.
Pressure is mounting on Starmer, with reports that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband urged the Prime Minister to set a departure timetable. However, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy cautioned against playing “pass the parcel” with the leadership, and Defence Secretary John Healey said Starmer “can still turn it round.” Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash, whose wife lost her council seat to Reform, called for Starmer to “set out a timetable for his own departure.”
Labour sources draw parallels to Sir Tony Blair, who lost 1,100 councillors in 1999 but won a landslide in 2001. Starmer ruled out quitting, saying he would not “plunge the country into chaos.” Financial markets remained relatively stable, with 30-year gilt yields edging lower to 5.61% after reaching a 28-year high earlier in the week. The FTSE 100 fell 0.7% to 10206.9, while oil prices rose above $100 a barrel.
