Labour could deny millions of Britons the chance to vote by cancelling even more elections next year, a polling expert has warned. Lord Hayward, a Conservative peer and pollster, said the fear of an electoral wipeout in May 'is now influencing much thinking within the Labour Party' and could see Sir Keir Starmer delay further polls.
Lord Hayward predicted that Reform UK would be the biggest winner, while Labour is likely to come off worst – and that a poor performance would add 'substantially to the fire' for the Prime Minister. He added that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's position is looking more assured.
The Tory peer said: 'I am not convinced that further elections will not be cancelled. In some counties, the position about future local government structures is so uncertain that it might even make sense to defer.' Millions of people in Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk have already been denied a vote in mayoral elections until 2028.
Almost ten million more voters face having their local elections delayed until 2027 after the Government asked more than 60 district and county councils if they wanted to suspend elections due in May 2026. Labour has blamed the delays on local councils needing 'more time' to merge into unitary authorities under its plans.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has said the Prime Minister is turning Britain into a 'banana republic'. However, Labour maintains that the postponements are necessary for restructuring local government.
