With Labour bracing for what could be a historic collapse in the local elections, Independent readers are grappling with a bigger question than just Thursday's results: will anything – even a wipeout – actually be enough to force Sir Keir Starmer out?
Many commenters see the elections as a verdict on Starmer's leadership, arguing Labour has failed to connect with voters and risks losing ground not just to the Greens and Liberal Democrats, but to Reform UK in traditional strongholds. There is a strong sense of frustration, particularly among those reacting to Dan Haygarth's reporting from St Helens, where some lifelong Labour voters say they feel abandoned and no longer represented by the party.
At the same time, others pointed to warnings from Professor Sir John Curtice that while Starmer's position looks increasingly fragile, he may still survive in the short term because there is no obvious successor. That uncertainty runs through our community, with readers questioning whether replacing him would actually change anything.
Meanwhile, the projected surge for Reform looms large, with many readers warning that disillusioned voters could end up pushing politics further to the right – and potentially deepen Labour's losses in the very areas it can least afford to lose.
Reader Perspectives
'My support for Labour has been shaken – but I still won't vote for Reform'
Brandon26: My wife and I, both retired, walked a long way pushing Labour leaflets through doors in the campaign before the election. Almost the first thing they did was threaten PIP, which our son depends on for any form of independence. Even the Tories never did that. He has poorly controlled epilepsy, with side effects from medication and long-term brain damage. But because he can physically go to the toilet by himself, his PIP was under threat. The fact he really needs somebody else in the house in case he has a seizure in the bathroom, which he frequently has done, was not counted as important. We felt distraught that they seemed to be trying so hard not to upset Daily Mail readers that they were going after the weakest in true Tory style. Still, I cannot fathom or forgive those who, in response to this, are voting for Reform, a party even more to the right than the Tories who caused all this mess in the first place. I will vote for whoever I need to in order to keep them out.
'Polling would improve without Starmer'
Slightly Tipsy Max: The electoral reality is that if Starmer goes before the next general election and, say, Burnham becomes party leader and therefore PM for a while, Labour polling would improve. Also, Labour would be in a position to have talks with the Greens about which seats they do and do not fight each other in. Burnham is the person who can lead us to be a non-corrupt social democratic success story, where family gets redefined but also embraced. A country that provides opportunity to those who deserve it, not those who are better connected. Working with the EU on our own military industrial base as well. The USA will next retreat to isolationism again as it heals from Trump and the GOP, so we need to consider unthinkables such as deals with China.
'Only one person who can lead Labour to a win'
Laertes: As a retired teacher, and by way of an example, if a school was struggling, a talented super-head would be whisked in to steer the ship. It was someone with long-standing experience of how schools should run, along with expert knowledge of the education system. But most of all, it was a person who could lead and garner the respect of both teachers and students. With this in mind, there is only one man who would do all of these things and more. If the Labour Party has any chance of winning the next election, there's only one person who should lead it, and that's Andy Burnham.
'Labour inherited a complete dog's breakfast'
BlindPew: I understand people's frustration, but Labour inherited a complete dog's breakfast from the Tories, and Trump's little tariff escapade, and now attacks on Iran have tanked the world economy and put the price of fuel into the stratosphere. Nobody else and no other party is going to repair the damage in the short term, and Reform's plan will destroy the NHS and bankrupt the country. The Conservatives are clueless, and while the Lib Dems and Greens have some good ideas, they are unproven in government. The only area I would question Starmer's direction is his very slow move to adopt EU standards. Our future is in Europe, and while we might not be able or ready to rejoin the EU, we should move as close as possible as quickly as possible.
'Look at Clacton'
Ambigirls: Those who've spent more time and energy opposing Starmer and everything else would do well to take a close look at themselves, because it's only a unified party that will bring about the change the country is desperately in need of, no matter who the PM is. Ego-driven MPs putting their own interests first are also partly to blame for this mess. Those who seriously believe that voting for inexperienced Reform candidates will bring about change for the better are more than deluded (see Clacton). Farage is a chaos merchant. He's only interested in holding power and using anything on offer to increase his own wealth, as those who support him will find out once it's too late. The more Reform councillors elected this week, the less likely greater alignment with the EU is, because no one in the EU will risk further entanglement with a country where the risk is Farage in power after the next General Election!
'Westminster's oppositional duopoly is designed to fail'
FreeLife: This is the classic mistake — it's not the leader but the organisation that is to blame. John Major is correct about the matter of thinking changing the leader will make things better — five PMs in a decade has hardly made people's lives five times better. It's the team that is responsible for delivery, not the team leader. In that respect, Westminster's oppositional duopoly is designed to fail. People who are more concerned about their own careers than delivering for the electorate need not apply.
'What does Labour represent?'
SinkingFeeling: I waited a decade for a Labour government in the hope they would right the wreckage of the Conservative government. What the country got is a governmental collection of sicklets with no connection to the general public, and a public with little understanding of what Labour now represents. Ministers have struggled to make a positive difference to the issues people care about: health, education, defence, immigration, crime, tax, welfare. The issues they claim to have progressed, we are always told we'll see the results in 2029–30. The commonality between the generations now appears to be no connection to Labour.
'Not everything is the government's fault'
much0ado: One of the biggest problems we face (as do other countries) is that the not-so-bright among us (there are many) assume that if things do not work out as they like, then the government is to blame. The credit crunch, Brexit, Putin, Trump, Covid, Johnson, Truss and the unions have made economic management very difficult. Having the likes of Farage and Polanski around does not help.
'Local elections are not a referendum'
Hera: If the people of St Helens want old Labour, the last thing they need is Farage, the total opposite. They must have forgotten what old Labour was about. Local elections are not a referendum on central government or the PM; they are about planning, bin collections and your local council swimming pool, if you still have one.
'A worrying trend'
SeanF: He's not been great by any yardstick, but it's a worrying trend that voters elect a party expecting a certain PM and the parties do a bait-and-switch a year and a bit in. I was glad to see the back of Johnson, immensely relieved when whatever Truss ever was came to an end – but we should not be blind to the fact that it is a step in the wrong direction when whichever party is in government just seems to think they can change PM as they please.
'Starmer has to go'
Christopher1959: Starmer simply has to go, no ifs, no buts – he's a liability to the Labour Party. For those who think that Reform are the answer need to think again. They are full of former Tories who jumped ship when they realised that the Conservatives would lose the last general election, which of course they did. What I think will happen is that Starmer will step down, Andy Burnham or Angela Rayner will become PM, and Labour's poll ratings will go up considerably. The 2029 general election is still three years away, and I honestly do NOT think that Farage will become PM, at least I hope not.
