Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a stark warning to voters ahead of Thursday’s local elections in England, accusing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski of being unfit to lead during a period of global instability. In a late pitch, Starmer urged voters to back Labour, insisting only his party is putting the national interest first.
Labour is braced for record-breaking losses, with some MPs warning that losing more than 1,500 council seats would be existential. Polling expert Stephen Fisher has predicted losses of over 75% of seats – around 1,900. Reform is expected to take historically Labour councils such as Barnsley and Sunderland, while Labour hopes to hold key London councils like Westminster and Wandsworth.
The elections also carry wider implications for Starmer’s leadership. The SNP is set for a fifth victory in the Scottish parliament, where Labour is likely to lose seats, and in Wales, Labour is on course to lose power to Plaid Cymru. While leftwing MPs may protect Starmer by delaying a challenge until former Labour MP Andy Burnham returns to the Commons, potential contenders Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are said to be reluctant to move first.
Amid the fallout, the centrist Labour Growth Group is set to launch a report calling for stronger government action on living standards, housing, and regulation. Research behind the report shows that voters leaving Labour for the Greens and Reform favour a more radical approach to structural economic problems.
