Starmer vows to stay as prime minister as Labour reels from local losses; Reform UK surges

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will carry on as prime minister despite a disastrous set of local election results for Labour that prompted calls for his resignation from within his own party. Reform UK has gained over 1,400 councillors across the country and taken control of 14 councils so far, while Labour has lost control of 35 councils and seen the Hackney mayoralty go to the Green Party.

Labour has also lost in Wales after 27 years in power, and First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat. Contests took place in 136 local authorities across England, including some of the largest cities and the whole of London, spanning a mix of urban and rural councils as well as several county authorities.

Mr Farage’s party won control of Havering, giving Reform UK its first London council. The Conservatives gained Westminster City Council from Labour and made gains in Wandsworth, taking the council to no overall control. Brent, Enfield, Haringey, Southwark and Lambeth fell to no overall control after decades of Labour rule.

Labour also lost councils the party had controlled for generations in the north. Results on Saturday included Reform taking control in Barnsley and ending Labour’s hopes of retaining Bradford. Even so, Labour held firm in parts of the capital, retaining Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Camden, Islington and Greenwich, and pulling off a narrow win in Merton.

The Liberal Democrats gained more than 150 councillors, taking control of Stockport and Portsmouth and becoming the only party on Richmond upon Thames Council, though they lost their slender majority in Hull. The Green Party won the mayoralties in Hackney, Lewisham and Waltham Forest, and has won four councils so far.

In Scotland, elections for the Scottish Parliament left the Scottish National Party as the largest party at Holyrood but short of an overall majority. The final result gave the SNP 58 seats, with Labour and Reform on 17, the Greens on 15, the Conservatives on 12 and the Liberal Democrats on 10.

In Wales, elections for the Senedd saw Labour lose power after nearly three decades. This is the largest set of local elections in the country for three years and a key test for all parties, especially Labour, as Sir Keir faces growing questions over his leadership.

The prime minister said he would not “walk away and plunge the country into chaos”. Most of these seats were last contested in 2022, when the then-Conservative government under Boris Johnson was trailing Labour in the polls amid the Partygate scandal. That year, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens made gains at the Conservatives’ expense.

Reform UK contested only a small number of council seats in 2022 and won just two. Last year’s local elections told a different story for Reform UK: the party picked up 677 seats, taking its total councillor count at the time to 804. The Conservatives were the biggest losers of that night, dropping 674 seats, while Labour lost 187.

Mr Farage will be hoping for similar success this year, with polling suggesting both major parties are set to suffer significant losses again. More than half of the seats up for grabs this year are being defended by Labour, reflecting the party’s current strength in London and in Metropolitan boroughs, while just over a quarter are Conservative defences.

Results were still being declared at the time of reporting.