"Labour had lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils, the local government structures that deliver many neighbourhood services. Starmer's party also crashed to defeat in the election for the devolved parliament of Wales, where it had dominated the country's politics for a century, and went backwards in representation in the Scottish parliament. Adding to the panic in Labour, the party lost to a series of challengers, including the righting populist Reform UK party, the leftwing Greens, and pro-independence nationalists in Wales and Scotland."
"The elections, the biggest since Starmer won power in mid-2024, showed how the UK's traditional two-party system of Labour and the Conservatives has been smashed, with Reform taking the most votes, and the Greens, Conservatives, Labour and the centrist Liberal Democrats bunched up behind. While Starmer does not have to face an election to the national parliament in Westminster for three years, increasing numbers of his MPs want him to announce a timetable for his departure, believing he is too politically damaged to turn things around."
"Speaking on Saturday morning, one MP, Debbie Abrahams, who represents an area in the north of England which used to be solidly Labour but has increasingly turned to Reform, said Starmer must put the country first. She said: We have to recognise the dangers that we're in now, that on this trajectory it doesn't look good. Asked how quickly Starmer should go, she said: I think it is a matter of months."
"For now, however, Starmer has the backing of his senior ministers, at least in public, including the two routinely named as likely challengers: Wes Streeting, the health minister, and Angela Rayner, who was deputy prime mini"
Labour lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils and suffered defeats in devolved elections in Wales and setbacks in Scotland. The party lost to Reform UK, the Greens, and pro-independence nationalists, reflecting a shift away from the traditional two-party Labour-Conservative pattern. Reform took the most votes, while Greens, Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats clustered closely. Although Starmer is not required to face a national Westminster election for three years, increasing numbers of MPs want him to announce when he will leave, arguing he is too politically damaged to recover. Debbie Abrahams said Starmer should go within months, while senior ministers publicly backed him, including Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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