Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure to set a departure date after Labour suffered catastrophic losses in local elections across England, Wales, and Scotland. The party lost over 1,400 English council seats, lost control of the Welsh Parliament after a century of dominance, and saw its representation in the Scottish Parliament decline.
The results, the largest electoral test since Starmer took office in mid-2024, revealed a fractured political landscape. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, won the most votes overall, while the Greens, Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats trailed closely. Labour lost ground to Reform, the Greens, and pro-independence parties in Wales and Scotland.
Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, called on Starmer to “put the country first” and suggested he should step down within months. However, senior ministers including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner have publicly backed him. Potential successor Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is not in Parliament, complicating any leadership change.
Starmer has vowed to fight on, writing in a newspaper article that the results were “very tough” but rejecting calls to shift left or right. He argued Labour must “bring together a broad political movement.” Allies acknowledge policy successes and adept handling of international affairs, but admit too many missteps and U-turns have damaged the government.
Some within Labour caution against changing leaders mid-term, recalling that the Conservatives switched prime ministers four times between 2016 and 2022 and were heavily punished at the next election. Meanwhile, the Conservatives under new leader Kemi Badenoch also fared poorly, losing over 500 councillors and ground in Scotland and Wales.
