Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not resign despite a devastating electoral defeat in Labour's heartlands, as Nigel Farage's Reform UK made stunning gains across England and Wales. The Prime Minister acknowledged the results were 'tough' and 'hurtful' but declared he would not walk away and plunge the country into chaos.
Electoral Carnage in Labour Strongholds
Labour suffered a net loss of 464 seats and 15 authorities as 90 of 136 English councils declared full results. Reform UK gained control of six councils and added 748 seats, while the Conservatives lost 269 councillors and three councils. The Liberal Democrats gained control of Portsmouth and added 46 seats, and the Green Party took Norwich and gained 64 councillors.
In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan failed to win a seat in the newly expanded Senedd, as Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party with 39 seats, Reform UK won 32, and Labour plummeted to just nine seats out of 16 constituencies declared. The Conservatives held seven, Greens two, and Liberal Democrats one.
In Scotland, the SNP looked set to remain the largest party after 68 first-past-the-post results gave them 55 seats, with the Liberal Democrats on five, Conservatives on four, Labour on two, and the Scottish Greens on two.
Reform UK's Historic Breakthrough
Nigel Farage hailed the results as a 'truly historic shift in British politics.' Reform took Sunderland from Labour, a council containing Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson's Westminster seat. It became the second largest party in Tameside, ending Labour's 47-year uninterrupted majority in the Greater Manchester council, which includes former deputy leader Angela Rayner's constituency. In Barnsley, Reform ended more than 50 years of Labour rule. The party also won in Havering, its first London borough, and took Essex County Council from the Conservatives.
Green Party Gains and Internal Criticism
The Green Party defeated Labour mayors in Hackney and Lewisham in London and gained 17 seats in Manchester, illustrating the threat they pose in former urban Labour strongholds. Zack Polanski declared the era of two-party politics 'is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried.'
Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh told ITV Calendar that unless the government delivers significant and urgent change, the Prime Minister cannot lead Labour into another election. Richard Burgon, leader of the Socialist Campaign Group of left-wing Labour MPs, demanded Starmer set out a timetable for his departure, warning against a 'stitch up' that prevented Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Andrea Egan, general secretary of the Unison union, warned 'Labour faces political oblivion because it's simply not delivering for the majority of people' and predicted a change of leader sooner or later.
Starmer's Response
Sir Keir acknowledged his government had made 'unnecessary mistakes' but said he would not walk away. 'The results are tough, they are very tough, and there's no sugar-coating it. We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country... and that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility.'
Baroness Morgan, in her concession speech, said the Labour government nationally needed to change course and return to being the party of the working class.
