Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected calls to resign following a devastating performance in local and devolved elections across Britain, in which Labour lost control of more than 25 English councils, was pushed out of power in Wales, and suffered significant losses in Scotland — with senior figures within his own party now openly demanding he set a timeline for his departure.
Keir Starmer declared he would not step down following one of the worst electoral results for a governing Labour Party in recent memory, even as senior Labour MPs urged him to agree an exit plan within a year.
The scale of the defeat became clear across multiple fronts on Friday. Labour lost control of more than 25 councils and nearly 1,000 council seats in England, with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party making sweeping gains across the Midlands and the north of England. Reform also took seats from the Conservatives in the south, including in Essex — where Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch holds her own constituency — a county the Tories had controlled for 25 years.
Farage described the results as "a truly historic shift in British politics."
The damage extended well beyond England. In Wales, Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd, with Labour on course to lose control of the Welsh government for the first time since devolution. The Welsh Labour leader, who had been the first woman to lead the Welsh government, was among the most high-profile casualties and called on the national party to "go back to being the party of the working class."
In Scotland, SNP leader John Swinney declared victory in the Holyrood elections, though his party was expected to fall short of an outright majority. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar conceded defeat, acknowledging his party had failed to counter "national dissatisfaction" with Starmer's leadership.
Not all results went against the left. The Green Party won its first two directly elected mayors — in Hackney and Lewisham — and took control of three councils: Norwich, Hastings, and Waltham Forest. Green leader Zack Polanski declared Britain's traditional two-party system "dead and buried."
The Conservatives endured their own heavy losses across the south of England, squeezed by both Reform and the Liberal Democrats. However, they did recover the flagship Westminster council in central London, with Badenoch framing the result as evidence the party was "coming back."
Labour's struggles extended into its London strongholds, with the party unexpectedly losing control of Brent. Party insiders were closely monitoring whether councils including Lambeth, Lewisham, and Haringey would also fall.
Despite the pressure from within his parliamentary party, Starmer has indicated he intends to remain as prime minister and see through the government's programme. Whether his position is sustainable in the medium term will likely depend on the scale of any formal leadership challenge and the direction of the broader policy debate within Labour.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The results represent a multi-directional collapse for Labour: losing ground to Reform UK among working-class voters, to the Greens among urban progressives, and to the Liberal Democrats in suburban areas — suggesting no single, easy corrective path.
- Reform UK's surge from protest vote to genuine governing force at the local level gives Farage a platform to build institutional infrastructure ahead of the next general election.
- If Starmer is replaced, it would be the second Labour leader to fall within a decade of taking power, raising deeper questions about the party's ability to sustain governing coalitions.
Background
Labour won a landslide general election victory in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative government. However, the government's honeymoon period proved short-lived, with early controversies over policy direction, economic management, and the party's relationship with its traditional working-class base generating persistent internal friction.
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, had been polling strongly since the 2024 general election, positioning itself as the primary vehicle for voters dissatisfied with both major parties. These local elections represented its first major test at scale in council-level governance — a significant step beyond its previous identity as a primarily parliamentary protest movement.
Devolved elections in Scotland and Wales have historically served as barometers of governing party strength at Westminster. Labour's near-simultaneous losses in Cardiff and Edinburgh compound the sense of a party struggling across all political geographies simultaneously.
Key Perspectives
Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership: Starmer has refused to resign, signalling his intention to lead the government through its full term. Supporters argue mid-term local election losses are historically common for governing parties and that policy delivery over time can restore support.
Senior Labour rebels: Multiple senior MPs have called for Starmer to set a firm departure timeline within a year, arguing the results demonstrate a structural disconnect between the leadership and Labour's voter coalition that cannot be reversed under the current leader.
Reform UK and Nigel Farage: Farage has framed the results as a historic realignment, with Reform now positioned as the primary opposition force in many parts of England. Critics caution that winning council seats is considerably easier than forming a national government, and that Reform's record in local governance has yet to be tested.
Critics and political analysts: Some observers argue the results reflect broader disillusionment with mainstream politics across the ideological spectrum rather than a clear mandate for any single alternative. The fragmentation of votes across Reform, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP complicates any straightforward interpretation.
What to Watch
- Whether any senior Labour MP formally triggers a leadership challenge, and how many colleagues sign nominations — the threshold required would test the depth of anti-Starmer sentiment in the parliamentary party.
- The outcome of remaining council counts, particularly in Labour's London strongholds such as Lambeth, Haringey, and Lewisham, which will define the full scale of losses.
- Reform UK's performance in its newly won councils — credible local governance would significantly strengthen Farage's case for national viability ahead of the next general election.